Things Are Sweeter in Tennessee
by IWUnurse2013
Summary: Katniss is a nurse running from a troubled past, Peeta is a baker whose life was turned upside down by a tragedy. See how these two people learn to trust that life can be sweet again.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Is this seat taken?"

Katniss turned to the right only to look into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. A man who looked to be her age was standing next to her at the end of the row of chairs, waiting to see if he could sit. He was blonde, with unruly hair, a kind smile, and was of tall, stocky build with broad shoulders that were well accented by his charcoal suit jacket.

"No, by all means," she replied, gesturing that the man should sit down.

"Thanks." The man took the seat next to Katniss, and she turned back to face the aisle where the bridesmaids were walking slowly toward the grapevine arbor where the minister and groom stood waiting. The quiet music of the processional was accompanied by the sounds of sparrows and running water of the many fountains surrounding the venue. As the flower girl and ring bearer made their classically adorable and chuckle-worthy trek down the aisle, the crowd began to shift slightly to turn and see the bride.

As the beautiful tunes of Canon in D began to drift in the warm spring air, Annie, ever looking the part of the blushing bride, began to make her way toward her waiting groom. Katniss turned to look at Finnick, and the look of pure love and adoration on his face melted her usually stony heart. She felt the man on her right shift a little, and out of the corner of her eye saw that he too was observing Finnick's sea-green eyes begin to turn glassy at the sight of his bride.

Katniss watched with joy as her closest friend from childhood vowed to love Finnick for the rest of her life, and was glad she could be part of this day. Annie was positively glowing, and Katniss couldn't help but get a little teary when Finnick, normally composed, said his vows in a voice thick with emotion. When the minister declared them husband and wife, Finnick immediately cupped Annie's face in his large hands, and leaned down to kiss her sweetly. Then, in classic Finnick style, he fist pumped in the air, conveying his excitement to be married, and was rewarded with chuckles from the audience.

Once the happy couple made their way up the aisle amidst applause from their guests, the minister told the congregation to begin making their way over to the reception area, a large white tent set up about 100 yards away from where the ceremony had just taken place. Katniss turned to her right, and saw that the latecomer was standing there, looking at her with an odd expression on his face. In keeping with her usual lack of social skills, Katniss exasperatedly asked "What?" with a slight huff. The man just smiled, a crooked grin that gave his countenance a boyish look, and said, "Nothing, just trying to figure out where I know you from. I'm Peeta Mellark by the way. And you are...?"

"Katniss Everdeen," she replied. Katniss wasn't one to make small talk, and decided that the best way to answer, and ultimately ditch this guy was to give her normal short answers.

"Well, nice to meet you, Katniss. That's a name you don't hear very often, but I guess most people also don't know that it's a plant, either. Of course, who am I to talk? Peeta is not exactly a common name either."

"Yep. Well, I'm going to head over to the reception now, so..." Katniss mumbled, not knowing what to make of the man in front of her, and waited for him to move so that she could make her way to the tent.

"Oh yeah, of course, sorry. I'm kind of a talker, in case you couldn't tell," Peeta responded while stepping aside. His cheeks were slightly pink, and the way he nervously reached up to rub the back of his neck made Katniss smile a little. She couldn't figure out why her stomach seemed to suddenly be filled with butterflies. What was she, 13? She just met this guy, and besides, she has no time for _that_ right now. So she simply nodded, gave Peeta a small smile, and began to make her way to the tent.

As Katniss was walking, she went over the quick list of excuses she could make for departing early, after congratulating Annie and Finnick, of course. Weddings, people, and parties had never been her thing; so the prospect of an entire evening of all three, when the only people she knew were the bride and groom, was grim, indeed. Once Katniss reached the reception area, she saw that not only were Annie and Finnick still off getting pictures taken, but they had actually gone through with a seating chart for this event. Really? Katniss could never understand why people did this for weddings, shouldn't guests be allowed to sit where they want? Oh well, Annie's superior attention to detail is one of the things that endeared her to Katniss as a child, and clearly she hadn't grown out of it.

With a sigh of defeat, Katniss bypassed the chart that displayed who was to sit where and began to roam among the tables looking for her name card, not paying attention to any other names at the table once she found hers. As she sat down, she felt eyes on her, and looked up to see that guy, Peeta, staring at her from where he stood at the entrance of the tent. Once she caught his gaze, though, he quickly ducked his eyes to look around the tent. Torn between annoyance and some other feeling Katniss couldn't quite name, she scowled and began examining the flowers at the center of the table.

She was in the middle of counting the number of purple Gerber daisies, her favorite flower, in the vase of beautiful spring flowers when she heard a throat clear behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she was again met with those impossibly blue eyes. 'They have to be contacts' she thought to herself, 'no one has eyes that blue.'

"Yes?" she said politely.

"Um, I believe that the place next to you is where I'm supposed to sit." Peeta stated. Katniss looked at the chair, trying figure out why he felt the need to state this fact, and saw that she had set her clutch purse and jacket on that chair when she sat down.

"Oh, sorry. Let me move my stuff so you can have a seat."

"No problem, I just wasn't sure if you were saving that chair for your date or something."

Katniss couldn't help but laugh lightly. "No date for me. Besides, it would've messed up Annie's seating chart, to spring an extra guest on her today. She might've killed me."

Peeta smiled, a smile that lit up his whole face, and sat down. "So, how do you know Annie and Finnick?" he asked. Katniss knew there no way to avoid this guy, so she figured she might as well talk to him, to help the time pass a little faster until she could make her escape.

"Annie and I are from the same hometown, we went to school together until sophomore year of high school, when she moved. We were basically best friends, and we stayed in touch over the years." Katniss explained.

"So you're from Indiana too, then?" Peeta asked. Katniss gave a nod. "Wow, so did you come down here for the wedding? How long of a drive is that?"

"Um, well, it's a 7.5 hour drive. But actually I moved here to Knoxville 3 months ago." Katniss said.

"Really? What brought you down here?"

Katniss made a concentrated effort to not narrow her eyes at this guy's persistence. "I had a hard time finding a job in Indiana, so when Annie offered to put in a good word for me at the hospital she works at, I jumped at the chance to move here."

"Annie's a great person like that, I keep telling her she's too good for Finn. What do you do at the hospital?"

"I'm a nurse in the ER. Nursing jobs are pretty scarce in Indiana right now, especially for a new grad. Nobody wants new nurses, but how else are we supposed to get experience? But I love it, here." Katniss found herself shocked at her own ramblings, she'd never said that much at once to a stranger ever, other than her patients. "So, how do you know Annie and Finnick?"

"Well Finnick and I grew up together, went to college together, basically have known each other our whole lives. When Annie came here in high school, I knew Finnick was a goner, followed her like a puppy everywhere, and she never gave him the time of day. It was funny, since up to that point he'd been something of a ladies' man. Of course, he loves Annie, but can still be a huge flirt."

Katniss laughed quietly as she remembered the first time she'd met the man that was now her friend's husband. He was so flirtatious and overly cocky that Katniss had genuinely been afraid for Annie's sanity. But once she saw them together, how protective Finnick was of her dear friend, and how he looked at her like she was the rarest gem, she knew he was a good man. But it had still taken some time to get used to his personality, and even then, Katniss could only handle so much of the dazzling Finnick Odair.

"How have I not met you yet? It seems like, since we're friends with them, I would have run into you sometime?" Peeta asked.

"Uh, well I work nights, so I'm kind of nocturnal for part of the week. Then when I'm not working I spend time with my dog, call my family, relax. I don't know, guess our schedules are probably different. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a baker, which means I'm up at the crack of dawn, so you're right about the schedule thing. My family owns a little bakery downtown; I went to college to get a degree in business so that I could take over when my dad decided to retire, but some things changed and I own it now. So, I bake, decorate cakes, and fight crime on the side." Peeta stated nonchalantly. But he had to chuckle as Katniss's head snapped up from where she'd been studying her hands as he spoke, and had a confused look on her face. "Just seeing if you were listening."

Normally Katniss would be annoyed at antics like that, but something about Peeta made it difficult for her to be made at him, and, against her will, she cracked a smile. At that moment, the DJ began to announce the wedding party's entrance, cutting their conversation short. As the members of the wedding party, along with the bride and groom took their places at the head table, the crowd hushed. The best man and maid of honor gave their traditional toasts, and Katniss began to, again, think of a way to duck out early. She felt a little bad about it, but Annie understood how Katniss was around crowds and new people. That's why she was so okay with Katniss turning down the role of bridesmaid; Katniss was touched that Annie had even asked her. They hadn't seen each other in quite some time, so to say Katniss was shocked would be an understatement.

Eventually, Katniss decided that once the party started, she would politely leave. Until then she continued to talk a little with Peeta, and the other people that had made their way to the table. Once an acceptable amount of time had passed, Katniss quietly made her way to the head table where the happy couple were perched, congratulated them, and took her leave. Katniss felt somewhat bad that she hadn't said goodbye to Peeta, but he wasn't at the table when she decided to leave, so she wasn't sure what to do, or why it really mattered. But once she got to her house, changed out of her soft green dress and heels, into sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, she couldn't get thoughts of those blue eyes, and the way they had looked at her, out of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So this is a short one, but I wanted to get Peeta's view of things before moving on to more interaction between him and Katniss. Hope you are enjoying so far, I'll probably have the next chapter up very soon! :)**

Peeta was just returning to the table at the reception when he noticed Katniss's chair was empty, her clutch and jacket no where in sight. He wasn't sure why, but he was a little disappointed, maybe because he had been able to talk to a beautiful woman without dragging all his baggage along with him, for the first time in quite a while. Peeta felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see his best friend grinning like a fool, and Peeta could tell he was just waiting to pounce. Sometimes Finnick was worse than a woman about gossip. Peeta knew that Finnick had been wanting him to meet someone, and that he had seen Peeta talking with Katniss throughout the early portion of the evening.

"Sooo, saw you talking to Katniss. Well done, man! I've never gotten her to say more than maybe 3 or 4 words to me at once. And I couldn't help but notice she looked awful pretty tonight..." Finnick rambled on like a junior high girl fishing for details.

"Yeah, she was nice, and yes, very beautiful. But you and I both know I don't have time for a relationship right now, with everything that's been going on lately." Peeta said. He did think Katniss had looked exceptionally pretty, dressed in a soft green dress that complimented her olive skin, with her dark hair wound around the back of her head in intricate looking braids.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? You know darn well since you saw her in the picture Annie has in her office of the two of them together, you've been interested. And yes, life has been tough lately, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy, too." Finnick is quick to point out to Peeta.

Peeta sighs, knowing that his friend has a point. "You're right man, I guess I'll probably see her around sometime, and I'll just go with it. Anyway, tonight is about you and Annie, congratulations by the way. How was the cake?"

"Excellent, as always, my friend. And thanks, finally being married to my Annie is awesome. Can't wait until it's your turn!" And with that, Finnick makes his way to the dance floor to wrap his arms around his bride, and dance the night away.

Peeta sits down at the table, thinking back to the picture Finnick had mentioned. About 6 months ago, Peeta was meeting Annie for lunch at the hospital, to discuss the wedding cake details, and he was a little early. Annie had told him he could wait in her office while she finished a session with a patient, so he meandered around for a bit, looking at the pictures she had on the walls of the tiny room. One picture caught his attention immediately, or rather, a particular person did. The photo was of a 13-year-old Annie, a smaller girl with blonde hair and clear blue eyes, and between them was a raven-haired beauty with olive skin and hazel eyes, who appeared to be the same age as his friend. Peeta was sure he'd never seen such a pretty girl before, and was immediately taken with her beauty, the way she looked right at the camera with an air of fearlessness, a real smile and joy on her face. The background of the photo was a blue lake, which Peeta assumed was near where Annie had lived in Indiana before moving to Tennessee. He was still gazing at the photo when Annie came into her office, apologizing for making him wait. She caught him staring at the picture and said "That's my friend Katniss from back home, and her sister Prim. We were at the lake for 4th of July weekend, that was the last weekend we had together before I moved." Annie went on to say, with a sly grin, "Pretty, isn't she?"

Peeta had cleared his throat, and mumbled a soft "yes" then got back to the task at hand of working out the details of the wedding cake. But those eyes stayed with him, and he could hardly believe his luck today when she was at the wedding, and went on to say that she lived here now!

Peeta looked up at the crowd, pulled from his daydream by peals of laughter erupting from the dance floor, no doubt from some crazy thing Finn was doing. After observing the party a little while longer, and draining one more beer, Peeta congratulated his friends again, and headed to his car. Once he pulled into his driveway at 11:30, the exhaustion from the long day of finishing the wedding cake, setting it up, and nearly missing the wedding in the process, caught up with him. He unlocked the front door, laid his keys on the table just inside the door, and quietly closed the door. The TV in the living room was on, showing the Netflix menu screen, and Delly fast asleep on the couch. Peeta couldn't help but chuckle at the young girl, she always insisted she wouldn't fall asleep on the job, but more often than not Peeta came home to find the babysitter asleep on his couch after watching a movie. He gently shook her shoulder, saying "Delly, I'm home. Thanks for staying with little man, I appreciate it." The blond teenager quickly woke up, yawned, and said "No problem, he's always fun to hang out with. He went to bed around 9, so he should be good for the night. Bye Mr. Mellark!" After she left, Peeta locked the front door, and shut off the lights downstairs, in awe at how Delly could always be so chipper.

As he ascended the stairs, Peeta stopped by the first door on the left, cracking it just enough to peek inside at the small boy, fast asleep in his race car bed. Watching his nephew sleep, his little chest rising and falling with his slow, even breaths, Peeta thought about how he got to this place, of being sole guardian to this little boy. The weight of the memories came crashing all at once, making Peeta even more tired. He gently shut the door, made his way to his bedroom, and barely managed to get undressed before collapsing into bed. Tomorrow was going to come too quickly, and Peeta had promised his nephew pancakes in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: New chapter! This is a long one, but I couldn't find a good place to split it up. Thanks for all the follows and favs, I'm blown away! Enjoy :)**

**I don't own THG. Just playing with the amazing characters Suzanne Collins wrote.**

Ch. 3

"Katniss, we just got another one in your pod. Room 316, patient is a 5-year old male with abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and weakened appetite. It's all yours, Brainless!" Johanna called out to Katniss, as she was finishing her charting on one of her other patients, trying not to grimace at the nickname Johanna had given her two hours into her first shift.

It had not been too busy in the ER that night, but Katniss still had 8 hours left in her shift, and hoped that Johanna would come down from the caffeine high soon. Johanna Mason was the charge nurse that night for the ER, and had been Katniss's preceptor when she first began working at Capitol Memorial. Johanna bestowed Katniss the nickname of 'Brainless' when, at the end of her first shift she was so tired she addressed a patient by the completely wrong name for about ten minutes, and Jo had never let her live it down to this day. The older woman took some getting used to, but was a fantastic nurse and had taught Katniss a lot about emergency and trauma care.

Once she had finished her charting on the patient in 312, a simple case of sore throat who should be discharged soon, Katniss made her way to 316. Knocking on the door gently, she opened the door and said "Hi, I'm Katniss, I'll be your nurse tonight." As soon as Katniss had begun speaking, the man standing next to the small boy on the gurney immediately looked up. Once again, Katniss was met with the impossibly blue eyes, messy blonde hair, and impressive build of Peeta Mellark.

She regained her composure and addressed the small blonde boy who currently looked to be in pain. His eyes were green, but other than that small difference, he could be Peeta's child, which he probably was. All of a sudden, Katniss felt slightly hurt by the thought of Peeta being married with a son, and discreetly to snuck a glance at his left hand. 'No ring, hmm. Damn it, pull yourself together, Katniss!' she told herself.

"Hi, my name's Katniss. What's yours?" Katniss asked as she logged onto the bedside computer to pull up his chart.

"I'm Eli." the boy managed to squeak out. Katniss smiled gently and said "Nice to meet you, Eli. I'm going to be taking care of you tonight, so do you think you can tell me what doesn't feel good?"

"My tummy hurts, and I threw up a bunch of times at home. And I'm cold, but hot too. I just don't feel good."

"Okay, thank you for telling me all that." Katniss said to Eli. She looked up at Peeta, who had been staring at her the whole time, and asked quietly "Are you dad?"

"No, I'm his uncle. But I am his legal guardian," Peeta said softly, looking down at his nephew. Katniss did her best to school her expression into one of professionalism, instead of surprise at this revelation (although it's better than him having a wife and son after they talked at the wedding, which is ridiculous, he was just being friendly and she doesn't have time for _that_).

"Okay, when did this start?" Katniss asked, switching back into professional nurse mode, gathering the needed information. After documenting everything about this episode of illness, she once again addressed the child. "Eli, I need to listen to your heart and tummy, is that okay?"

The young boy nodded his head, but reached for his uncle's hand and held fast to it. She smiled reassuringly at the child as she took her stethoscope from around her neck, and offered to let him touch the diaphragm and bell.

"It doesn't hurt, you can touch it. See?" As the little boy timidly reached his hand out to touch the object, he nodded his head in satisfaction, letting Katniss know it was okay to proceed. After listening to his stomach and heart, Katniss then explained how the blood pressure cuff needed to "hug" his arm, and she needed to peek in his ear to see how warm he was. Eli, who decided he could trust Katniss, was willing to let her do the assessments she needed to do. This was Katniss's favorite part of the job: working with kids, and getting them to understand they don't need to be afraid of nurses and doctors.

Peeta, who had remained quiet after answering Katniss's questions, told Eli "Good job, buddy. Thanks for letting Miss Katniss help you."

Katniss nodded in agreement, and told them that she would report her findings to the doctor, and he would be in to see Eli in about 10 minutes. As she left the room, Katniss couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Peeta and his nephew, that he would be his guardian. But at the moment, she had a job to do, so her curiosity was put on hold.

* * *

Peeta couldn't believe his eyes when Katniss came into the exam room, saying she would be taking care of Eli. Over the course of the week following the wedding, his thoughts had drifted to Katniss more than he would care to admit. Wondering if he would see her again, what he would do if he saw her again, and had even been thinking about bringing it up to Finnick, but something always stopped him. Maybe the fact that he had his nephew to raise; he was still new at this, and didn't want to mess up. Shit, he was terrified enough when Eli got sick two nights ago and it lasted more than 48 hours. He had no clue what to do, and poor Eli had cried that he wanted his mommy. Peeta was doing his best, but he sometimes felt like he was drowning. He was thankful, though, that at least he knew Katniss, and that she had been so good with Eli, getting him to go along with everything she needed to do.

The doctor came in then to see Eli, explaining it was most likely a virus causing the symptoms, but that blood tests would be done to make sure. He also said that Eli needed to receive IV fluids in order to replace what he'd lost from the vomiting. Panic must have been clear on Peeta's face, because the doctor went on the explain that this happened to children frequently, and that Peeta had done nothing wrong. After giving this news, the doctor left saying the nurse would be back in shortly to collect blood samples and get the IV going. Peeta could only pray it would be Katniss, since Eli seemed to trust her already, and, truth be told, so did he.

* * *

Katniss went about gathering her supplies for the blood draws and IV fluids that Eli needed, thankful that he was, at the moment, her only patient. IVs on kids could take a while. As she stepped to the door of the exam room where Eli and Peeta were waiting, the blinds were open, and the sight in the room melted her heart: Peeta had gotten onto the narrow bed with Eli and was holding him tight to his chest, whispering soothing words into his ear. Katniss could count on one hand the number of times she had seen this kind of tenderness from fathers, let alone an uncle. Katniss cleared her throat quietly and walked into the room, shutting the door behind her, and laid her supplies on the over-bed table.

"Okay Eli, let's start helping you get better. I need you to be really brave for me now, think you can do that?" Katniss asked the boy, looking directly in his eyes.

"Yeah, I can. Is this gonna hurt? I don't like stickies."

"Stickies?" Katniss asks, amused. Peeta mouths the word "shots" over his nephew's head, with that crooked grin that seems to make her stomach flutter. She really wished her stupid stomach would stop doing that around this guy.

"Oh, okay. Well, this is going to sting a little bit, but I'm going to put some medicine on your arm to make it hurt less. And if we get this done, we can give you your medicine quicker and get you home. Does that sound like a plan?" Katniss explained in a gentle but direct voice.

"Uh, yeah. Can Uncle Peeta hold me while you do it? I need him to hold me." Eli asked with a trembling lip.

"Of course he can hold you," Katniss replied gently.

As she began preparing the saline lock tubing, and getting the vacuum chamber unpackaged, she explained to Peeta how to position Eli in his arms, so that both of them would be safe from an accidental needle stick or other injury. She put on her gloves and applied some soothing, numbing cream to Eli's little arm, allowing some time for it to take affect and numb the area where the IV would go. After finding a good vein, cleaning the site, and reapplying the tourniquet, Katniss held the needle in her hand just above Eli's arm.

"Ok Eli, time to be brave. Little pinch then it's all done. Make sure you don't move, ok?" Katniss instructed the small boy, focused on the task at hand.

"Look at me buddy, tell me about colors." Peeta coached his nephew, so that he wouldn't look at the needle. Truth be told, Peeta couldn't look at the needle either, they made him squeamish, and the last thing he needed was to pass out.

Katniss began to insert the needle with precision and quickly got it into the vein, confirmed by seeing blood come into the flash chamber. She smirked inwardly; she was still the best IV person in the unit, thankful that all of her training in clinicals had paid off; the boy didn't even flinch.

"Okay, it's in, keep doing a great job Eli. I'm going to take some blood and then get some fluids going into your arm." Katniss explained as she continued to work with more tubes and IV lines. Peeta kept Eli talking to him, making sure to keep him distracted from the sight of blood pouring into the five different tubes Katniss had in her hands. Before long, she had the tubes of blood filled, and the IV bag of saline hooked up to the tightly secured IV, and programmed the pump to begin running in the fluid. "All done, you can look now."

Peeta let out a sigh of relief once Katniss gave the all-clear, and looked down at Eli's arm. The IV was barely visible under the clear film covering it and tape holding it in place, but his nephew looked at it in fascination. After all the excitement, the events of the night began to take their toll on the child, and he soon fell asleep on Peeta's lap. After all it was nearly 1:00 in the morning. Katniss had slipped out of the room while Peeta and Eli were examining the IV, but came walking back into the room with three syringes in her hands.

"These are medicines for his pain, fever, and vomiting. They act faster if I give them through the IV," she explained as she saw Peeta's questioning expression.

She scrubbed the hub of the IV line and pushed each medicine slowly, and after about 5 minutes, all the medicine was administered.

"I need to take his vitals again, so I'm going to need his other arm, the one without the IV, for his blood pressure," Katniss said. Peeta gently shifted Eli in his arms so that Katniss could go about her assessments. A silence, which wasn't entirely uncomfortable, settled over the room, as Katniss pushed buttons on the blood pressure machine and took Eli's temperature again.

"So, how are you? I didn't see you at the reception after I went to get a drink, I was hoping to talk to you some more," Peeta said casually, looking at Katniss as she documented her assessments on the computer.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good, thanks. I left early...well...because parties and people I don't know really aren't my thing," she told him after a pause. Suddenly, she realized how it sounded and looked at Peeta, whose blue eyes were steadily trained on hers, thankfully looking amused, not offended. "I mean, I liked talking to you. That's not what I meant...I...uh..." she trailed off, getting more flustered with every dumb word, her cheeks flushing.

Peeta simply laughed quietly, saying "It's okay, I know what you mean. That was my first time out to a social gathering since Eli came to live with me, it's kinda overwhelming sometimes to be around that many people at once over the age of 5."

"Speaking of, how is it that he came to live with you? Oh, shoot, sorry, that's none of my business. Sorry." Katniss flushed, stumbling over her words and uncharacteristic curiosity. What power did this guy have over her that made her want to ask questions? Normally, she was reserved and avoided personal topics of conversation with patients and their families.

"It's ok, I'll tell you," Peeta said, quietly looking down at his nephew to make sure he was still asleep before continuing. "His dad was my older brother, he and his wife were killed in a car crash 2 months ago. His wife was an only child and her parents were gone, and our parents died when I was in college, so it came to me to take care of Eli. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Katniss was surprised at how candid Peeta was, how he was able to speak about the subject without resentment or bitterness, only sadness with determination. That's when Katniss decided that Peeta Mellark is a good person, few would do what he'd done, let alone be committed to the situation.

"I'm so sorry for your losses. I know that doesn't make it better, but you seem like you are doing a really good job with him." Katniss said, nodding at Eli, who was sleeping comfortably in Peeta's arms.

"Thanks, I don't really know what I'm doing most of the time. It scared me to death when he got sick like this, so quick," Peeta admitted. "But you did a great job with him, so thanks for that. I can attest to his fear of needles, I think it's a Mellark family trait, we're all terrified of them."

"No problem, it's my job. I'll be back to check on him in a bit, and once the blood tests are back, the doctor should be in to discuss what we find. Is there anything I can get you?" Katniss asked. Peeta declined, but thanked her for asking.

Katniss headed to the door of the room, hesitating slightly before turning back to face Peeta. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I've been in a similar situation, and it's hard, but you're doing great."

Peeta nodded, flashed her a grin, and said, "Would you like to hang out sometime? Talk, maybe be friends, if you'll allow it?"

Katniss gave him a small nod, and said "I'll allow it."

* * *

Katniss hurriedly rushed around her small cottage-style house, doing a last-second cleaning of the living room, kitchen, and guest bathroom. She couldn't believe she had forgotten that she invited Annie and Finnick over for dinner, a small token of thanks for how welcoming they had been when she first moved to Knoxville, and helping her to get on her feet. She wouldn't have taken the offer for overtime, but she'd seen the opportunity to get ahead on some bills and couldn't pass it up.

The extra three hours at work put her behind on getting things ready for dinner, not to mention she had gotten all of four hours of sleep once she got home. Thankfully, she had planned ahead and all she had to do was heat up the stew she'd put together the day before, which was simmering on the stove in her beloved cast iron dutch oven. The red enamel coated pot had been a gift from her uncle Haymitch when she was in high school and learning to cook venison on her own. Cast iron cooking really was the best way to go when making anything, especially wild game, and the pot reminded her of the surly older man every time she used it.

The delicious smell of venison, potatoes, carrots, and rich sauce wafted through the house, reminding Katniss of simpler times when she could hunt alongside her best friend. Well, former best friend...or whatever he was. She shook her head a little, as if to rid herself of memories having to do with Gale, and told herself once again to not think about it.

Rosie, Katniss's beloved dog, wagged her tail anxiously, watching Katniss running around the house, eager for guests. The medium-size, but incredibly strong, and energetic black dog had been Katniss's constant companion since before she moved to Knoxville, having found her 2 years before on the side of the road as a pup. She had named her for the fact that the puppy was sitting in a bed of wild roses growing along the ditch when she found her, which Katniss had always preferred to roses from a florist. Rosie, unlike Katniss, had always been a people person, so anticipation at having guests in their new home for the first time had the dog all but giddy, she was practically smiling at the door waiting for someone new to walk in. Katniss just hoped Rosie wouldn't growl at Finnick too much, as she was fiercely protective of Katniss, especially around men. On second thought, that might be kind of funny.

Just as Katniss had finished her last second sweep of the house and set the table, she heard the knock on the front door. Rosie immediately took up her job of barking incessantly at the door, until Katniss said "quiet," and snapped her fingers, a signal to the dog that it was okay for people to be here. As Katniss opened the door, she found Annie and Finnick on her doorstep, the newlyweds holding hands and looking into each other's eyes until Katniss cleared her throat.

Annie went three shades of red, while Finnick just flashed her his self-assured smirk and said "Hey there, Kitty! Oh, look, you have a dog, she's so cute!" as they walked into Katniss's house, with his hand outstretched to Rosie. Katniss faintly heard a low growl from Rosie, and Finnick's nervous yelp, and suppressed a chuckle. It was funny to see Finnick a little scared, she'd have to remember to give Rosie an extra treat later.

As Katniss turned to close the screen door, she caught sight of a blonde head coming from the Odair's maroon car, and stopped short when she saw the blue eyes of Peeta looking at her.

"Oh, we forgot we had made plans with Peeta tonight too, until he showed up at our house. We insisted he come with us, sorry we didn't give you a heads up," Finnick said from inside, with such a smile in his voice that told Katniss he was anything but sorry. By this time, Peeta was standing awkwardly in front of Katniss at the door, a faint blush on his cheeks, until he cleared his throat. He somehow looked even better than at the wedding, dressed in nice jeans, white v-neck t-shirt under a blue flannel that had the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a chocolate brown jacket slung over one arm. Damn, that blue shirt and jeans fit him so well.

Katniss, aware now that she had been staring, shook herself and said, "Of course, no worries. Come on in."

Peeta's face brightened into a dazzling smile, and he handed her the bakery box Katniss hadn't noticed he'd been holding.

"Just a little dessert, I hope you like chocolate," he said with a smile, as Katniss let him in the house.

Rosie, ever the attention-grubber, left Annie's side to bound over to Peeta, sniffing at his hand before allowing him to scratch behind her ears. Katniss jaw dropped in disbelief, Rosie had never not growled at a man who walked into her house, even if she knew them. It was like a warning that she'd mess up any guy that tried to hurt Katniss, even if he was a friend. Finnick, who was growled at within seconds, also made his surprise known with a scoff.

"Are you kidding? That dog growled at me not 5 seconds ago, and now she just loves you? What gives?" Finnick asked in disbelief.

"Well, I think my Rosie is an excellent judge of character, but maybe she's partial to blondes," Katniss said with a wink at Annie, who sat laughing quietly at her husband's antics. "Let me get another place set at the table, then we can eat."

Katniss set the bakery box on her kitchen counter, going to the cabinet where she kept the plates, and rounding up some silverware for Peeta to use. She couldn't identify why her stomach was a mess of knots and butterflies, she'd been in a more awkward situation with this man a week ago when she'd taken care of his nephew at work. It most likely had to do with her less-than-stellar social skills, and the fact the his presence was unexpected, not that she was attracted to him. Because she_ wasn't_, she told herself firmly.

Plastering a smile on her face, she headed to the dining room to set the last place for Peeta at her small kitchen table. Katniss wasn't sure her table had ever seen this many people before, since she was usually alone at meal times in her home. As she set the bowl, glass of sweet tea, and silverware at the fourth place at her table, Katniss invited her guests to have a seat while she retrieved the pot of stew from the stove.

Once they were all settled, and the rich venison stew had been ladled into bowls, they all tucked into the delicious meal.

"Katniss, this is so good! God bless the cow that died for this stew. Where did you get meat this tender?" Finnick demanded between shoveling bites into his mouth.

"I killed it last fall with my bow, and it's been in my freezer since then," Katniss replied, with a sly grin.

"Oh shit, you mean I'm actually eating Bambi right now?" Finnick asked in horror.

"Yep. Well, not Bambi so much; Bambi's mom." Katniss said, sharing a glance with Annie, who knew Katniss's love of wild game from childhood and had known they would be having venison tonight.

"Wow, you hunt? That's awesome!" Peeta spoke up. "I've never had venison, always thought it'd be gamey and tough."

"It's all in how it's processed, which I do myself, so I've gotten pretty good at getting good cuts of meat from my deer," Katniss stated, feeling slightly embarrassed at how much of a redneck she must seem like. But it was worth it to finally pull one over on Finnick, who had adamantly refused to try wild game of any kind since he met Katniss and discovered her passion for hunting. But when glanced up to look at Peeta, his smile was genuine and seemed impressed, not disgusted, by her knowledge of killing and processing deer.

"Well, Everdeen, I guess I stand corrected," Finnick stated.

Annie simply sat laughing quietly, knowing her friend always hunted enough each fall to avoid buying red meat at the store anymore. "It's just as good as the last time I had it back in Indiana. And, yes Finnick, I knew we'd be eating this tonight. Katniss hasn't bought beef in years."

The group eagerly dove back into their meal, all the while Katniss could feel Peeta's eyes on her. When she would catch his gaze, she quickly looked away, doing her best to ignore the way her heart seemed to speed up each time, her cheeks growing warm. She wasn't sure what it was about this guy that made her feel...well, girly. Growing up in a small town, working on a farm, and hunting had contributed to her tomboy status throughout childhood and into her early teens. So, when she fidgeted at the dinner table, playing with the end of her braid and wondered what Peeta thought of her hair, it caught her completely off guard.

"I'll go get the dessert I brought, I didn't get a chance to slice it at the bakery. Katniss?" Peeta was looking at her expectantly, and Katniss felt like her tongue was tied in knots.

"Oh, sorry, it's in the kitchen on the counter. I can get it, I need to get dessert plates anyway," Katniss dumbly replied once she had found her voice again.

"It's okay, you get the plates, I'll get the pie," Peeta smiled as he spoke, motioning for her to lead the way.

Katniss brushed past him on her way into the kitchen, pointing out the knife block so that Peeta could cut the scrumptious looking chocolate pie he'd brought. She turned then to the cabinet above the stove where she kept the small plates, and stretched on her tiptoes to reach the plates, cursing herself for being short and putting anything in this high cabinet. Suddenly, she felt a body press to her right side, and saw an arm stretch up to grab the stack of plates she'd been attempting to get.

"Here, I'll give you a hand," Peeta said helpfully. As he reached into the cabinet, his hand brushed hers and Katniss immediately felt a tingle that began in her fingertips, slowly burning it's way up her arm. All of a sudden, the kitchen became too warm, as Katniss was acutely aware of his close proximity to her.

"Thanks," she said as she backed away, giving Peeta room to retrieve the dishes.

"No problem. Good thing to have a tall person around sometimes, right?" he smiled easily at her.

"I guess. Usually I just grab a kitchen chair and use it as a stool, but tall guys are handy too," Katniss replied, not sure where the hell that had come from. Her normal one word answers just didn't seem to exist in the presence of those blue eyes, and she found herself wanting to speak more than usual. Katniss decided she was maybe coming down with something, she was a nurse in a very busy ER, for crying out loud. That was it. Illness. _Not_ attraction.

"Yeah, when I was little I couldn't reach to help frost the cookies in bakery, so I had a little stool all my own to help make up for my 'vertical challenge' as I called it." Peeta said, with a chuckle, seeming to sense her discomfort, and wanting to put her at ease.

"Hey, are we ever going to have dessert? Or are you two hogging it all in there?" Finnick loudly called from the dining room.

"Calm down, man. Considering Katniss had to put up with an extra guest since y'all sprung me on her, I may just let her keep the whole pie," Peeta called back, with a wink at Katniss as he strode back into the dining room, said pie in hand.

"Really, it's not a problem you came. We said we'd be friends right?" Katniss assured Peeta. Then, she realized she'd alluded to their last meeting, and she wasn't sure if Finnick and Annie knew that Peeta had brought Eli to the hospital last week, and quickly looked to Peeta. She didn't want to breach patient confidentiality by mistake.

"Yeah, we did. Eli says hi, by the way, and thank you for being so nice to him," Peeta says calmly, his tone reassuring her that her slip was okay.

"Wait, you met Eli? Why didn't you say so? When did you meet him?" Annie asked in a curious voice, her eyes flitting between Peeta and Katniss suspiciously.

"Um, yeah. Little man got a stomach bug last week, and couldn't shake it. He was vomiting a lot, and had a fever, so naturally I was scared shitless, because I know nothing about taking care of a sick kid. I took him to the ER and Katniss was his nurse that night." Peeta explained, looking at Katniss. "She was great, got him to agree to an IV and everything. And you know how he feels about needles."

"Yeah, I also know how you feel about needles," Annie chuckled while Peeta's cheeks began to turn slightly pink. "How did you handle it? Did he pass out, Katniss?"

"Nope, no passing out, though it definitely wouldn't have been a first for me to have the person _not_ getting the needle to go down. He did a great job with Eli, kept him calm, which made my job way easier," Katniss explained quietly. She looked up to see Peeta gazing at her with a look Katniss couldn't quite place.

"Anyway, we figured that since we'd talked at your wedding, and are both friends with you guys, we could be friends, too. Now, who wants pie?" said Peeta, effectively changing the subject.

After devouring the wonderful chocolate mousse pie Peeta had brought, the group continued chatting for a bit. Following numerous offers to help her clean, which Katniss turned down, the Odairs went to get their jackets from the front hall where they had been hung when they arrived. Peeta seemed to be hanging back towards dining room, waiting for Katniss to let Rosie out from a room down the hall so that the dog could go outside to the backyard for a bit. As Rosie came bounding down the hall, she immediately made a beeline to Peeta, wagging her tail and nudging his hand with her head, indicating she wanted his attention.

"I think your dog has taken a liking to me," Peeta said, smiling, as he pet Rosie's head, paying special attention to the area behind her ears.

'She's not the only one' Katniss thought to herself, smiling at the sight. Ugh, she couldn't even control her thoughts anymore around this man.

"Are you kidding, Mellark? Why is it that all the furry creatures like you better? Even the squirrels at the park run away from me, but flock to you!" Finnick said, incredulously.

"I guess I just have one of those personalities that appeals to animals," Peeta laughed at the memories of his friend getting passed over by animals in favor of Peeta for most of their lives. Finnick huffed and pouted like a petulant child, reaching a tentative hand to Rosie, only to be growled at again.

"Alright, let's go before you really make Rosie angry, Finn. _I_ like you better than Peeta, if it makes you feel any better," Annie said with a smile, humoring her child-like husband. "Thanks for dinner, Katniss. It was wonderful."

With that, Annie and Finnick headed out the door, not before Annie gave Peeta a slight nod of encouragement, that Katniss didn't see because she was putting the leash on her furry friend.

"Thanks for having us for dinner, and being great about me kind of barging in. I felt bad, but Finn insisted I come along, especially since my babysitter isn't free again for a while, and this was a rare night out for me," Peeta said in an apologetic voice, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"No worries, it was good to see you again. And I'm glad to hear Eli is feeling better, tell him hello from me."

"Will do. So, would you maybe want to hang out sometime? I really would like to be friends; other than Finnick and Annie, I don't have many these days. Most people aren't willing to spend an evening watching a Disney movie with a 5-year-old instead of going to a bar or something. And I'd like to get to know you. I could show you around Knoxville, too."

Katniss thought about what he'd just said. Did his friends really abandon him when he was entrusted to care for his nephew? Because, a friendly person like Peeta was sure to have loads of friends, but it made Katniss sad to think that they'd walked away when his responsibilities became greater.

"Of course, I'd like to hang out. And for the record, movie nights are some of my favorite nights, especially when it involves animation," Katniss said with a smile.

"Great! So, um, not to be too forward, but can I have your phone number? So we can get something set up," Peeta added quickly, the faint blush returning to his cheeks.

Katniss rattled off her phone number, and offered for him to text or call her to set a time to hang out. As he thanked her again, and headed out the door to the Odairs' waiting vehicle, Katniss couldn't help but admit to herself that she'd like to get to know Peeta better. He seemed like such a genuine guy, and Katniss hadn't seen one of those in a long time. With a small sigh, Katniss took Rosie for a short walk around the spacious backyard. She really needed to get that fence built so that Rosie could run around, like she used to at the old farm back in Indiana. When she was through cleaning up and loading the dishes in the dishwasher, she locked up the house and went to her bedroom to settle in for the night.

As per her usual nightly routine, Katniss cuddled her pillow close, imagining for a moment that her sister was sleeping next to her. But that would never happen again, and the sadness gripped Katniss like a vice around her heart. However, as Katniss began to drift off to sleep, instead of Prim's blue eyes invading her mind like they did every night, it was a different pair of blue eyes, set in a kind face with blonde hair, that she saw right before exhaustion overtook her. She didn't have any nightmares that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Okay, y'all this is more of a filler, and we get some of Katniss's backstory. Also, thank you so much for the reviews, favs and follows! It's so encouraging, and helps me keep going! Enjoy :)**

**I don't own THG. Just playing with the amazing characters Suzanne Collins wrote. Nor do I own Jungle Book, it's just my favorite Disney movie :)**

Ch. 4

As Peeta sat staring at his cell phone for what must have been the tenth time that day, he still couldn't come up with how to approach Katniss to try to plan a time to hang out. A voice from behind him said "Uncle Peeta, what's wrong with your phone? You keep looking at it like it's a puzzle."

Eli's innocent question couldn't have been closer to the heart of the problem, leave it to a five year-old to put Peeta's dilemma into words. Because talking to women usually made him a little nervous to begin with, but Katniss was such an intimidating and allusive person, he found himself more confused than normal. So Peeta decided to get another opinion on the matter.

"Hey little man, would it be okay if a friend of mine comes over for movie night?" Peeta asked, wanting to be cautious about springing people on Eli too quickly after the tenuous adjustment period that had taken place after the accident.

"Yeah! Can we watch Jungle Book? Can we have your special pizza?" Eli began firing questions back at Peeta immediately, all but bouncing up and down on the couch next to Peeta, looking absolutely adorable in his fireman pajamas, making Peeta smile. Then he suddenly ceased his movements and asked, very seriously, "Wait, is your friend a girl?"

Peeta let out a nervous cough, decided honesty was the best policy, and said "Yes. My friend is a girl. Is that okay?"

"Yes, I like girls, they smell pretty...like Mommy did," Eli answered somberly, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

Peeta's heart nearly broke again, seeing the heartbreak so clearly in his nephew's face. It was so unfair that a child his age had to go through such a devastating event as losing his parents. Eli had only just begun to stop having nightmares about his parents dying in the fiery wreckage, as he had overheard someone describe the scene at the funeral. Peeta would always hold the small boy in his arms, rocking him gently, whispering soothing words in his ear until the tears stopped, and he began to sleep again. After 2 months of this nightly routine, Peeta was amazed that he was still able to function at the bakery, getting very little sleep most nights for fear of Eli falling into another nightmare that he had to be awakened from.

"Uncle Peeta? Hello! Are you in there?" Peeta jerked himself back into reality at Eli's voice and knocking on his head.

"Yeah, buddy, I'm here, just thinking. So, I can invite my friend over?" Peeta felt a little ridiculous seeking approval from the child, but he wanted to be sure that Eli knew this was his home, and that he had a voice in what happened here, too.

"I say yes! Let's have a movie night!"

With his doubts about Eli's reaction erased, and renewed courage, he quickly dialed Katniss's number before he could talk himself out of it again. The phone rang for what seemed like hours, but was in reality only six seconds, when he heard her voice answer the phone, with a cautious "Hello?"

"Hi, Katniss, it's Peeta." He could feel his palms sweating a little, but at least his voice sounded steady.

"Oh, hey. What's up?" she asked, sounding genuinely glad to hear from him.

"Well, Eli and I have a weekly movie night every Friday, and we were hoping you could join us this week," Peeta explained, hoping that the silence he now heard wasn't a bad sign. "I know today's Tuesday, and might be a little short notice but-"

"No, it's fine, I'd love to come over. Sorry, I was just thinking of my work schedule. Let me get my calendar, shifts changed this month and I'm not sure..." she trailed off absently, as Peeta heard papers being shuffled in the background. Eli sat next to him, smiling brightly, giving his uncle a thumbs up for encouragement. It never failed to amaze Peeta how children were so real, straight to the point, and wished he could be more like that; be the brave little kid he used to be. "Okay, yeah, I can make it on Friday, I have the weekend off," Katniss came back on the line suddenly.

"Great! We'll be watching Jungle Book, it's Eli's favorite. And I'll be making homemade pizza, is that okay?"

"That sounds great. What can I bring?" Katniss asked.

"Oh, you don't need to bring anything-" suddenly Peeta was cut off by his nephew, who had hauled himself up to his knees to put his mouth by Peeta's phone.

"You can bring brownies!" Eli shouted excitedly into the phone. Peeta looked at his nephew with the best stern face he could muster and said quietly to him "Manners, Eli."

He heard a brief laugh from his phone, as Katniss said "I can bring brownies. That's about the only thing I can bake."

"Seriously, Katniss, you don't have to. Eli just got a little excited-"

"Nope, I'll bring brownies and that's final. What time should I be there? And where do you live?" Katniss stated with finality, her tone telling Peeta to save his arguments and just go with it.

As he told her his address and agreed she should arrive around 6:00, they hung up, both stating that they were looking forward to Friday night. Peeta looked at Eli, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and thought that maybe things would start looking up after all.

* * *

Katniss couldn't believe how easily she had given in to agreeing to hang out with Peeta and Eli this Friday, and take dessert to boot. But, since dinner a few days ago, she had resolved to try to have the life she had promised her sister she would live. With a sigh, Katniss replayed the conversation from five years ago in her mind:

_"Katniss, it's okay, I know I'm not leaving this hospital. The cancer is just too far into my bones, but it's okay, because I get to go to heaven and be with mommy and daddy now," Prim told her, with a strong voice and wisdom far exceeding the tender age of 14. _

_"No, Prim, you'll be fine. You're all I have left, you have to fight this. Please don't give up," an 18 year-old Katniss begged. But she knew even as she spoke that her words range false, one look at Prim's gaunt face with pale lips and dark circles under her eyes was proof enough that she was tired of fighting._

_"Kat, I promise, you'll be okay. I'll be watching out for you from heaven. And you have uncle Haymitch, however drunk he may be, he loves you. You have to let people love you, Katniss, and you have to move on and don't let my death be your excuse to shut down. And you have to learn to love, too." _

_Katniss opened her mouth to argue, but was promptly cut off by her sister saying "Please, Kat. That's the last thing I'm going to ask of you: go with your gut, and open your heart. Have friends, go where life takes you. Especially if life takes you to a hot guy," Prim giggled at the end of her statement. _

_"Okay Prim, I promise," Katniss said quietly, and vowed that she would make an effort from then on._

Snapping herself out of the memory, Katniss felt like she could still hear her sister's words as if she was sitting right next to her. She could picture Prim's excited face as Katniss told her about Peeta, of course assuming that he would be the one to break Katniss's carefully constructed walls of stone that were around her heart.

"He's really nice, Prim, and yes, super attractive. He has blonde hair, a few shades darker than yours, and the biggest blue eyes I have ever seen. And he seems to be someone I could be friends with." Katniss found herself speaking her thoughts out loud, as though her sister could hear her.

And Katniss really had come a long way since her beautiful baby sister had passed from this life, resolving to be someone who healed others, which is what drew her to nursing. Not to say she hadn't dealt with serious bouts of depression, anger, and sorrow for about two months after her sister had died. And she would have given up on life, but she was determined not to be her mother, not to lose grip on reality, because that is what Katniss feared more than anything. That was something Katniss pushed to the back of her mind, not wanting to dwell on her mother and the hell she had put their family through.

College had been a good time for Katniss, keeping to her very small group of friends, which really only included Madge, and Clove. Madge had always been quiet, like Katniss, so when the two of them were on the same class and clinical rotations, they made sure stick together. Clove, however, was just the opposite; a fun, outgoing, and at times, downright scary girl who made it her mission to see that Katniss and Madge had some fun nights too. Katniss would never forget burning their uniforms the night before graduation (Clove had seen fit to throw a few knives at hers before said burning, she hated the white tunic and pants that much), and even the night they all passed their nursing boards, the hangover was legendary.

Then there was Gale. He had been Katniss's best friend growing up, always hanging around the woods where she would hunt after her parents died, trying to provide for his own family as Katniss was providing for hers. Katniss's uncle Haymitch, her mother's brother, had moved to the farm to be guardian for the two young girls, which might as well have meant they were on their own, for all the actual care giving the old drunk ever did. But, he had provided a roof over their heads, running water, and some food in the kitchen, so Katniss couldn't begrudge him too much.

Gale had somehow wormed his way into Katniss's life, slowly breaking down her emotional walls by sharing a love for hunting, and the two quickly became friends, best friends in fact. She felt comfortable around Gale, confided in him, which wasn't something Katniss did easily. And they were so much alike, both had fiery tempers, and never wanted to be the first to apologize after a fight. It just wasn't in either of them to back down, so most of their tiffs were left unresolved, an understanding that Katniss realized now wasn't the healthiest way to handle things. It left too much resentment on the table, and Katniss never knew what to say anyway, not being good with words. After Prim died, though, Gale proposed, completely shocking Katniss, who had never felt that way about her best friend, had never even given it a thought.

_"Think about it Catnip, we make sense. We could take care of our families together, I love you. Please think about it?" Gale made his case, before walking away, giving her time to think about this strange turn of events._

_Katniss mulled over his words for a week, not knowing what decision to make, and silently prayed for a sign. The day before Katniss had planned to meet Gale to give him an answer, her sign came in the form of an acceptance letter to the best nursing school in Indiana. She had almost forgotten she'd applied, having given up hope of getting into college after ending her senior year in not-so-good academic standing due to spending so much time with her dying sister. So, gathering her courage, she had gone to meet Gale, letter tucked into her back pocket for strength, because she knew that this day would change their relationship forever. _

_"I got in Gale, and they're giving me a great scholarship, I'll be able to live on campus. I have to do this now, not marry you. I'm sorry. You're still my best friend, though," Katniss explained calmly, waiting for what was sure to be an explosion from Gale._

_His face fell, and he took a step toward her, gritting his teeth and saying, "If it hadn't been for Prim, you probably wouldn't even want to be a nurse. I mean, I get it, your sister died and so naturally you want to make up for that somehow. But a nurse, really, Catnip? You don't handle sick people well, I think your jumping in too soon from grief, and guilt that you couldn't save her."_

_Katniss reeled back as though he had physically slapped her; suddenly her back was up and she bristled at his cruel words. Anger she had so long been holding at bay came rushing forth and was unleashed on the man standing before her. _

_"Are you kidding me? You're really going to throw my sister's death in my face and make this about her? How do you know I didn't want to be a nurse before then? We never even talked about the future or plans until you sprung this on me! And, even if most of this came about from Prim's situation, what's wrong with wanting to help people? Just because it doesn't involve you getting your way? Go to hell, Gale," Katniss turned to stomp away from him, unbelievable pain wrenching her heart. _

_"Katniss, wait. I just...if you go to college, you won't come back to this small town, and where would I be? I love you, and yes, I think going away right now is the wrong decision, it feels like you're running," Gale stated in a rush, as though he was saying anything he could to change her mind. Too bad for him, Katniss was stubborn as a mule, too, and wouldn't budge, especially now._

_"So now this is about you? You know what, I'm not sure where my best friend went, but if you find him again, tell him that I'm going to nursing school. And that I'm going to learn to save lives, and help people. Because the Gale I've known for the past 6 years would have been happy for me." With that, Katniss turned around, walked away, and never looked back._

Of course, small towns being what they are, they couldn't avoid each other forever, but when they did run in to each other, only tight smiles were exchanged at most. Katniss mourned their lost friendship, but couldn't feel like she was making the wrong decision. Even Haymitch had told her, "That boy is just content to stay here his whole life, while you know you need to get out there and see what's what. Kick his ass to the curb, go find your life at that college and learn how to take care of old drunks like me." Being Haymitch, that was as close to a pep-talk as it got, but Katniss would take support in any form at that point.

And that's what she did, she went to school, graduated in 4 years, and began the job hunt, which led her to Tennessee. The decision to go to Knoxville had a lot to do with the fact that she didn't want to return to her hometown, where there were so many bad memories, but also it was where the nursing jobs were. When she was leaving town, she stopped by Gale's house, to say goodbye, because she wasn't sure she'd be coming back, and despite the coolness between the two of them for the past 4 years, she didn't want to leave it like that. Maybe this was one fight that could be fixed. Katniss asked to speak with Gale when Hazelle, his mother, answered the door, surprise coloring her face, and he came to sit on the front porch with her, neither one sure what exactly to say.

_"I've got a job in Tennessee. I don't know if you remember Annie Cresta, but she lives there now and helped me find a job, I'm gonna stay with her for a while. I wanted to say goodbye, because I don't know when, or if I'll be back. There's too much hurt here for me to stay, I hope you understand," Katniss stated quietly. _

_"I guess there's no stopping you. Go on, save lives. But know, I'll always be here, waiting for you to come back, because deep down, you know you will. Especially because you're leaving Haymitch, and everyone knows he needs you around," Gale said, grasping at straws, still wanting to keep his hold on Katniss._

_"Haymitch is fine, he has his geese that he decided to raise for God knows what reason. And I guess I was hoping we could handle this like adults, but I see you're just as much of a child as ever. Don't wait for me, don't use me as your excuse to not move on," Katniss said, echoing Prim's words to her. "Goodbye Gale."_

With that, Katniss returned to her beat up Chevy car packed full of her stuff, where her dog, Rosie, sat riding shotgun. As she opened the door and got into the car, she heard Rosie's continuous growling at Gale's form, still sitting on the porch, and thought that maybe dogs really are the best judge of character.

Katniss shook her head a little, clearing the memories away, and began looking forward to a new friendship. Katniss had taken it as a sign that she should at least try with Peeta when the last thought on her mind had been him, and she hadn't suffered nightmares of her parents or Prim for the first time in about 2 years. Maybe this new beginning would be okay, as long as she kept her feelings in check, and made an effort to be Peeta's friend. And just his friend. Because if Katniss had learned anything in her life, it's that those who she had allowed herself to love, even a little, would leave her in some way. It was best to keep her heart safe.

***I know Katniss and some others are a little OOC in this story, but trust me, there will still be lots of stubbornness from Katniss, and oodles of charm from Peeta that will create tension. Reviews are always helpful, feel free to drop a line. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Wow, I am so happy so many of you are enjoying this story! Thanks for all the encouragement, it's a big help for me to keep going. This is the last chapter I had pre-written, and finals & graduation are coming up, so updates may not be as frequent, but never fear, this story will be continued! Enjoy :)**

**I don't own THG. Just playing with the amazing characters Suzanne Collins wrote. I also don't own the song Dream A Little Dream Of Me, I just love it. **

Ch. 5

"Miss Katniss! You came! Did you bring brownies? Do you like Jungle Book?..." Eli began immediately firing a million questions at Katniss the second Peeta had let her in the door, taking the still warm tray of the promised brownies from her hands to allow her to shed her jacket.

"Buddy, let her get in the house before you start the questions. Katniss is a guest, so best behavior, okay?" Peeta said while struggling to keep a straight face at the bewildered look on Katniss's face, and the way Eli's eyes were shining, excited to have a new friend. Peeta didn't think Eli had ever met someone he didn't like, which was very much a Mellark trait.

"Of course I brought brownies, they even have chocolate chips in them. And yes, I like the Jungle Book. The elephants are my favorite, how about you?" Katniss said, as little Eli took her by the hand, dragging her to the living room couch where they sat down, Eli still clutching her hand, smiling widely.

"I love the elephants, they're so silly!" Eli responded gleefully.

"Okay little man, how about you go play in your room for a bit while I'm finishing dinner," Peeta suggested. Katniss finally got a good look at him then, noting his relaxed but handsome look that he seemed to pull of effortlessly in the deep red henley shirt and dark jeans. Katniss tried not to linger too long on the way the shirt outlined his very muscular torso, because she was nervous enough without adding hormones to the mix. But, sheesh, that shirt was making it difficult not to stare.

"I can build something for Miss Katniss from my legos. I'll go get started," Eli replied, zooming off the couch and up the stairs.

Peeta rolled his eyes a little, saying "I think you will have a new best friend at the end of this evening."

"He seems like a great kid," Katniss said. She suddenly realized that she was alone with Peeta, something that had yet to happen, and she had no idea what to do. Just as the panic was starting to settle in, Peeta jumped in, sensing her struggle for words.

"Yeah, he's the best. Want to come give me a hand in the kitchen? I'm almost done with dinner."

Katniss crinkled her nose a little and with a small shake of her head said "I'll watch, but I'm not sure you want me in the kitchen actually cooking. I'm terrible at it, usually burn everything that doesn't require my dutch oven or crockpot. Basically I make stew, and that's about it."

"I refuse to believe that, maybe you just need a good teacher. And who better than me? After all, food is my livelihood," Peeta suggested, hoping Katniss would loosen up if they were doing something.

"Okay, but I warned you."

* * *

After nearly burning the marinara sauce in the pan that was simmering on the stove, Peeta finally accepted the fact that Katniss's culinary skills were not going to improve any time soon.

"How about I set the table?" Katniss offered, hoping to feel a little less useless.

"Nah, it's already set. But we can talk while the pizza is in the oven, should only be about ten minutes," Peeta said, hopping up to sit on the countertop, patting the spot next to him to indicate Katniss should join him. As Katniss came to sit next to Peeta, he took her actions as an okay to the talking. "So, what brought you to our fine state of Tennessee?"

"Uh, well I mentioned before, I think, that nursing jobs in Indiana are hard to come by right now. After graduation I was talking to Annie, and she told me of the positions here. So I packed up and drove here, Annie let me and Rosie stay with her for a bit so that I could get my own place," Katniss stated carefully, wanting to avoid any mention of the demons she faced that drove her to leave.

Peeta seemed to sense her hesitance, but was polite enough to accept her answer, giving her a bright smile. "Gotcha. Well, you picked a beautiful place to live, the mountains are awesome, especially for hiking. I'm gonna assume that you like hiking, you seem like the outdoors type; I mean, you hunt."

"Yeah, hiking is great," Katniss was fumbling again, trying to think of anything to say, picking nervously at the hem of her gray and blue striped cotton v-neck t-shirt. She had decided to dress comfortable but also look 'nice and like a girl' as Annie had put it, knowing all too well Katniss's habit of wearing jeans and any old t-shirt, at all times. Katniss then realized she didn't know much about him, maybe she should get him talking. "So, you live here your whole life?"

"Yep, born and raised in Knoxville. My parents were originally from Pioneer, but they came to the city for the opportunity to run the bakery. One of my dad's friends from this area had been running it, but decided he wanted to move out to be near his family in Colorado, so Dad jumped at the chance, he comes from a long line of bakers. I grew up learning to bake, ice cakes and cookies, all that great stuff. They had the bakery for about 3 years before I was born, so my name was a creative twist on my dad's favorite bread," Peeta said, fondly remembering when he first learned his name was not spelled like the bread. "At least the spelling is P-E-E-T-A, not like actual pita bread. Jon wouldn't have ever let me live that down."

"Jon?" Katniss asked.

"Uh, yeah, my brother. He was Eli's dad," Peeta said somberly.

Katniss could see the sadness in his eyes, saw the dark circles under his eyes, and how he seemed to sag under the weight of grief. Suddenly, the need to comfort him overtook her, and before she could think better of it, she put her hand on his arm. He jumped a little at her touch, looking at the place where she had her hand, then briefly covered her hand with his own. She moved her hand back, unable to tear her eyes from his, feeling a pull toward him that she couldn't understand. It was like his very presence drew her in, made her less wary of the world.

Clearing his throat, he continued, "It sucks to lose him, but at least I knew him for my whole 23 years. He was the best big brother, always knew when to encourage me, but also liked to pick on me, like every big brother does. He claimed he was making me tough, but really it was just an excuse to let me have it every now and then. You know, guy stuff."

Katniss opened her mouth to reply, but the sound of the oven timer set them jumping apart, and Peeta slid off the counter. As he pulled the delicious smelling pizza from the oven, he hollered up to Eli, telling him it was dinner time. Katniss heard Eli thundering down the stairs, calling out "I gotta show Miss Katniss my ship. I made it just for her, can I show it to her please?" The kid was not fighting fair, making his best puppy dog eyes at Peeta as he entered the dining room, sticking his bottom lip out. He knew how to pull Peeta's strings, his uncle never could put up a fight against that face.

"Okay, the pizza has to cool for a few minutes anyway. Go show her, then it's time to eat so we can get the show on the road," Peeta said.

"C'mon Miss Katniss!" Eli said, once again pulling Katniss by the hand. She smiled down at the little boy, his eagerness and joy seemed infectious. She didn't see Peeta's eyes get glassy, watching her interact with his nephew making him that more sure that he was attracted to her, and wanted to get to know everything about her.

* * *

"Miss Katniss said my ship was great, and I even made it in her favorite color!" Eli said between bites of pizza.

This had to be hands down, the best pizza Katniss had ever eaten in her life. Everything from the garlic and herb crust, spicy and sweet marinara sauce to the creamy melted cheese made an explosion of flavor in her mouth. She was already on her second piece, and caught Peeta's amused gaze from across the table every now and then. He appreciated a woman who actually ate real food, and felt an odd sense of pride that he could make her happy through a simple meal.

"And what color is that?" Peeta asked curiously, still looking at Katniss.

"Green, like the forest. It's always been where I'm happiest," Katniss replied with a smile. It was amazing how easy it was to talk to Peeta, he seemed to make her less guarded.

"Miss Katniss, how old are you?" Eli asked innocently

"I'm twenty-three."

"Are you Uncle Peeta's friend?"

"Yes, I'd say we're friends," Katniss replied, glancing at Peeta to see him holding back a smirk.

"And you're a girl...so are you his girlfriend?" Eli asked.

Peeta's eyes just about popped out of his head, and for once he was speechless, his mouth hanging open slightly as he struggled for words.

Katniss took a moment, and said to the child, "I'm his friend, and I'm a girl, but I'm not his girlfriend."

"Oh, okay. I just remember Mommy and Daddy saying that they wished Uncle Peeta would find a girlfriend, so I thought maybe they had sent you," Eli explained.

Katniss looked at Peeta, whose face and neck were now a bright red. Neither adult seemed to know what to say, so Katniss offered to go get the tray of brownies for dessert.

"Yay, chocolate!" Eli exclaimed, easily distracted with the promise of sugar.

Fifteen minutes later, they had Eli settled between them on the couch, as he proclaimed he wanted to sit by his uncle and his new friend, Katniss. It took some convincing, but he had finally agreed to drop the 'Miss', arguing with Katniss that it was good manners. Katniss had laughed and said that since they were friends, he was allowed to call her just Katniss.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Eli was fast asleep, his head on Peeta's chest, his left arm wrapped around Katniss's right arm. Peeta laughed quietly looking down at his nephew who always slept like a rock, and told Katniss he was going to put Eli to bed, since it had been a 'big, big, big day' as his kindergarten teacher, Miss Trinket, liked to say. Katniss watched as Peeta took great care to gently untangle Eli from Katniss, pick him up and carry him quietly to the stairs.

Katniss continued watching the movie and jumped when she heard Peeta's voice behind her a few minutes later. "You don't have to keep watching that, little man is out for the night."

"Who says I don't want to watch it? I wasn't kidding when I told you I was a fan of animation," Katniss assured him with a smirk. So, as he rejoined her on the couch, the movie continued to play, both of them laughing at the sheer silliness of the characters. Katniss ached so badly for her sister she could hardly stand it.

"So, what about your family? Are they all back in Indiana?" Peeta asked.

Katniss tensed a bit, she was hoping to avoid this question, but since they were going to be friends (just friends, no matter how good he smelled - like cinnamon and dill - or how beautifully he filled out his shirt), she figured it wouldn't hurt to give the surface story.

"Um, my uncle Haymitch still lives there, on my family's old farm. But my parents died when I was eleven, and my sister Prim, passed away from cancer five years ago. She was 14," Katniss explained quietly, avoiding Peeta's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I guess we both know what loss is like, huh? Is that another reason you came here?" Peeta asked gently, not wanting to pry.

"Yeah, I guess the opportunity to escape the ghosts and memories there was too good to pass up. I still call Haymitch once a month, just to make sure the old drunk isn't completely off the rails yet. A fresh start sounded good after all the shit I went through at home," Katniss explained, trying her best not to sound defeated and bitter.

For a moment, both Peeta and Katniss just sat together on the couch, looking at each other, acknowledging in an unspoken way, that they understood each other's pain like no one else could.

"Well, I'm glad we can be friends. Eli was just over the moon about you coming here tonight, we still aren't very social right now. I have no idea how to take care of a kid, but I figured we needed an adjustment period after everything that happened. It seems like we're doing okay now, though, but half the time it's still hell just to get through a day when he's upset that he can't tell stories about his mom and dad like the other kids at school, or get hugs and kisses from his mom," Peeta said tiredly. "Anyway, this is supposed to be a fun night, so I say we polish off those brownies and watch this movie."

Katniss laughed a little, agreeing that it sounded like a solid plan, after the heaviness of their conversation. As Peeta went to get the tray with the remaining brownies, Katniss closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and was determined to enjoy the rest of the evening. With her new friend, Peeta.

* * *

Katniss woke up, having no idea she had fallen asleep in the first place, to the dvd menu screen on the TV, her head laying snugly on Peeta's shoulder, his scent invading her senses and comforting her at the same time. The two had been sitting close together, balancing the brownie tray on both of their legs, so that both could reach them. Katniss tried to move to sit up, but felt a weight on her head, that she soon realized was Peeta's head, resting on hers. 'He must be asleep, too. Crap,' Katniss thought.

She soon realized what had woken her up: crying from above them, which she supposed was Eli in the midst of a nightmare. Peeta was absolutely out, not moving a muscle when she finally sat up carefully, making Katniss wonder when the last time he got a full night of sleep was. Katniss decided to just go upstairs to make sure the small boy wasn't hurt.

As she ascended the stairs, she could hear Eli had started crying, specifically for his parents, shouts of 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' punctuated by sobs. Katniss found herself hurrying toward the sound, coming to Eli's cracked bedroom door, and gently opening it to find him thrashing around on his red race car bed. She hurried over to him, sitting on the edge of the bed, and gathered Eli in her arms. She was going on instinct now, remembering back to the times she had comforted Prim during her nightmares, and begin to sing the same song she had sung to her sister, softly:

_"Stars shining bright above you, _

_night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you',_

_Birds singing in the sycamore tree, _

_dream a little dream of me..."_

Eli's cries became fewer as Katniss continued to sing and rock him, and he clung to her, as his breathing slowly evened out, indicating he had gone back to sleep. Katniss gently laid him back down, tucked his blanket around him and tenderly kissed his forehead. As she stood looking down at the now resting child, she wondered if she had overstepped her bounds, maybe she should have woken Peeta to deal with this, but he had looked so peaceful she just couldn't do it.

While Katniss was contemplating this, Peeta, who had woken up just minutes after Katniss had gotten up, was standing outside Eli's room, in awe of the woman who had just taken care of Eli, comforting him after his nightmare. She could have told Peeta about the situation, which would have been fine because it was his job, but she had let him continue resting and dealt with Eli herself. The second he had heard Katniss sing, and saw the way she was so kind and gentle to Eli, he knew he had to admit what his heart had already told him since the day they met: he was a goner.

**Oh the fluffy feels! I had to use the song Dream A Little Dream Of Me because it is what I actually sing to my nephews when they are upset, or trying to go to sleep. If you don't know the song, check out the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong version, my fav! Thanks for reading! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Bonus chapter! Didn't think I'd get another one out before my finals are done on Tuesday, but this came to me and I had to write it. Thanks for all your support and reviews, y'all make my day when you tell me what you think of this story. Enjoy! :)**

**I don't own THG.**

Ch. 6

It had been two days since Katniss was at his house, and Peeta was trying desperately to think of what to do next. He knew that he wanted to continue to get to know her, be her friend...maybe more. He couldn't deny his growing attraction to the raven-haired beauty, nor would he forget the way she had taken care of Eli, singing to him with a clear and mesmerizing voice. Peeta knew now that Katniss had more ghosts in her past than most, but that was definitely something he could identify with, having dealt with his fair share of grief, and then some.

Peeta had gotten up earlier than usual for a Sunday, but he needed to get some cleaning done while Eli was still sleeping soundly. It still baffled Peeta that the house could become a wreck so quickly with the addition of one child, but between hours at the bakery, taking care of Eli, and getting what rest he could, tidiness had gone to the wayside. He was thankful he'd had the afternoon off on Friday so that he could clean before Katniss came over, which mostly consisted of shoving things into closets to deal with later.

As he began picking up the living room area, Peeta remembered how the night had ended, after Katniss had taken care of Eli. Peeta had quickly turned around to not make it known to Katniss that he had witnessed the scene, but appeared to be coming up the stairs when Katniss came walking down the hallway.

"I'm sorry, he was crying, and you looked so peaceful, I figured I'd check on him. I should have let you handle it...I mean, you barely know me..." Katniss rambled looking at her feet, clearly uncomfortable and worried she had crossed a line.

"No, it's okay. What happened?" Peeta asked, as he began to descend the stairs, back to the living room, Katniss trailing behind him.

"Uh, I think he was having a nightmare, he was crying. So I just rocked him for a bit, and he went back to sleep," Katniss informed Peeta, now able to look him in the eye since he didn't seem angry with her for helping the small boy overcome his nightmares.

"Yeah, that happens about every night, not usually this early. Guess it was a long day for him, he was really tired. Thank you, for taking care of him, that was very nice. Especially since I don't get much sleep as it is," Peeta said, with a warm smile, his blue eyes shining.

Katniss couldn't understand the warmth that started in the center of her chest at the look on his face, slowly trying to burn down the walls built high around her heart. She felt like she was catching fire, and she needed to extinguish this spark before it gave way to a full flame. She couldn't let this happen, it wasn't fair to Peeta. He didn't know what he would be getting into.

"No problem. Well, this was a fun time, I think I'd better be heading home, Rosie will be needing to go outside for a bit before I turn in for the night. Thanks for dinner, and the movie," Katniss said, picking up her keys and empty tray the brownies had been on, and began heading toward the entryway.

"Yeah, it was fun. Maybe we could hang out again, soon?" Peeta asked hopefully, not wanting to seem to eager, or give her a reason to push him away just yet. Annie had warned him that slow and easy was the best way to go as far as Katniss was concerned. He opened the front door for her and turned on the porch light so that she could see to get to her car.

"Sure, I work the next three nights, but I'm free after that. I'll let you know," Katniss said, trying to be vague and non-committal, she wasn't sure she could handle being around Peeta again before she got her emotions under control.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll call or text you, is that alright?"

"That'd be great. Goodnight," Katniss said, making her way out the door, toward her car.

"Goodnight, Katniss," Peeta said, so softly he wasn't sure if she heard him.

Peeta shook his head a little to clear his head of the memory. What was it about this girl that made him so...well, unsettled. It wasn't like Peeta had never dated before, but none of the girls he had spent time with had intrigued him like Katniss did, whose steely gray eyes seemed to be holding back more than she let on. Not to mention she was that subtle, effortless kind of beautiful that Peeta found more attractive than the ladies who tried too hard, wore too much makeup, and revealed lots of skin.

As he continued picking up blankets from the living room floor where Eli had insisted on a making a blanket fort the previous night, he noticed a light grey jacket laying between the arm of the couch and the wall. Peeta picked it up, realizing that it belonged to Katniss; apparently neither of them had noticed she left without it a couple nights ago. With the weather warming up as the days of late May began to show the promise of summer, she may not need it just now, but was probably looking for it, nonetheless. With a grin, Peeta realized he had been given his excuse to see her again.

* * *

"Brainless, where's your head tonight? You are uncharacteristically smiley, and I'm pretty sure I heard a laugh escape your mouth earlier. What gives? Did you get one of the docs to sneak you some uppers?" Johanna mercilessly ribbed Katniss while they were on break in the hospital cafeteria.

"Jo, I don't know what you're talking about. And no, I didn't get any illegal medicine, I'd like to keep my license, thank you very much," Katniss muttered back to her co-worker.

It was true, though, Katniss had been in a ridiculously good mood for the past two shifts of the weekend, and it looked like tonight was no different. Since dinner at Peeta's house on Friday, Katniss had felt more happy than she had been in a long time, no matter how much she tried to shut it down. Even now, at the end of her Monday night shift (technically it was now Tuesday morning), she was still riding high on the feeling of having someone in her life that understood what she had gone through. And apparently her normal scowl had been replaced by a small smile, so of course Johanna would comment on Katniss's behavior.

"Hmm, must be a guy, then," Johanna quipped, eyebrows raised, fixing Katniss with a knowing look. The way Katniss felt her cheeks warm slightly, indicating a blush, only encouraged Johanna's guess. "Oh, it is a guy. Who is the fine piece of man that has transformed you from a grumpy old spinster to school girl with a crush?"

"It's not a guy, no crush, we're just friends. I don't plan to get married, or have kids, ever. So just get that thought out of your head now, please," Katniss explained.

"Well, duh, Brainless. Most people generally don't plan on getting married, it kinda just happens, in the shotgun or traditional fashions," Johanna's snarky reply and smirk making Katniss blush even more.

"No, I mean I'm not going to get married, none of it, I'm sure of it. It wouldn't be fair to anyone in the situation," Katniss emphasized.

"Why the hell not? If you find a guy that can cook, is funny and smart, and has a fine ass, why not jump all over that? In more ways than one, of course," Johanna said, winking at Katniss, who blushed even deeper scarlet at the thought of "jumping on" Peeta.

"Because, I don't want to end up like my mother, you know what she did to my family," Katniss replied evenly, hoping this would be a hint to Johanna to drop it. She had shared briefly with Johanna the situation surrounding her mother, and Johanna knew how Katniss felt about things like marriage and kids because of her fear.

"Brainless, you don't know for sure that you will end up like her, mental illness is not predictable that way, and you know it. I'm just saying, don't pretend to know the future, none of us do," Johanna said as she got up to throw away her trash from her meal.

Katniss knew Johanna had a point, but when it came down to it, she was afraid to ever take the risk and put a husband, or God forbid, kids, through what she had seen in her life. Her mother had been diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 18, and had maintained her therapy and medication regimen successfully until Katniss was 10 years old. No one knew the cause, but she decided one day that she could manage without her medications or therapy anymore, declaring "I'm cured, I don't need to take that stuff anymore!"

It only took a couple weeks for the negative effects to begin to show. Her mother would experience intense manic episodes where she would be high as a kite for days, not sleeping, and spending money wastefully. Every time Katniss's father would try to explain to his wife that she needed to be back on her medicine, that her actions were not okay, her mother would fly off the handle, screaming at her husband and accusing him of not wanting her to be happy. Hearing these arguments took a huge toll on Katniss emotionally, who always felt that it was her fault that her mother was the way she was.

Of course, the fights were small potatoes compared to the day her parents died. Her mother was driving, with her father in the car, and went into a manic episode, convinced that she was being followed, and eventually lost control, crashing into a tree. The only consolation Katniss had was that both died immediately on impact due to the high speed at which the car was going, allowing them not to suffer through prolonged blood loss and organ failure. That night, at the tender age of 11 years old, Katniss learned what bipolar disorder was, and began to tremble in fear that she would end up just like her mother. She had seen what this disease had done to her family, and determined from there on out that she would never allow herself to get married and have a family, she didn't want to risk putting a family through that.

Katniss sighed as her hospital phone rang, alerting her that her break was up and she was needed back on the unit. Picking up her lunch bag, Katniss stopped by the break room, and headed back to her post at the triage desk for what would prove to be the most boring 4 hours of her shift. Monday night shift was always slow, and triage was even slower. Triaging patients was the worst job, because she had to make the decision of who would be seen first, and most patients that came in with the sniffles didn't understand why they had to wait behind the people with the broken bones or bleeding wounds. The constant explaining, as nicely as she could, that there were other people with more serious issues, got old and by the end of the shift Katniss had been insulted more than she cared.

When her shift finally came to an end just after 7:30 Tuesday morning, Katniss stopped by her locker in the staff lounge to collect her purse and lunch bag, pulled out her cell phone, and saw a missed call from Peeta. He had also sent a text, asking her to call him when she got a chance. As she walked to her car, Katniss decided to call him back now, because she would probably forget once she got home and wanted to sleep.

"Hello?" Peeta answered after two rings.

"Hi, it's Katniss. I just got off work and saw I missed your call. What's up?"

"Oh hey! Yeah, I wanted to let you know that I was cleaning the house the other day and found what I think is your gray jacket, from Friday. I meant to call earlier, but the bakery has been crazy busy, and Eli had a parent-teacher conference this week, so I just remembered this morning when I got up for work," Peeta explained. "I have it here at the bakery with me, you can stop by, or I can bring it to you sometime in the foreseeable future."

"I wondered where that got to. I'm on my way home from the hospital now, I can just swing by the bakery and pick it up. Where exactly is the bakery?" Katniss asked, embarrassed that she didn't even know where his business was. Sometimes she wasn't good at the simple things of being friends, like knowing where they worked.

Peeta just laughed lightly, and gave her the address of the bakery as she punched it into her GPS; she was still figuring out Knoxville, which was much bigger than her hometown of less than 2,000 people and more farms than stop signs. They soon hung up, and Katniss set out to the bakery, for some reason feeling ridiculously nervous at Peeta seeing her disheveled post-night shift appearance, complete with wrinkled scrubs, messy braid, and the beginnings of dark circles under her eyes.

After about ten minutes of driving, following the directions of her GPS, Katniss found herself parked in front of the bakery. The storefront had big glass windows where beautiful cakes, cupcakes and cookies stood, all decked out in bright flowers, looking too beautiful to eat. The sign on the front of the store looked hand-painted, with the simple "Mellark's" name, written with dark orange paint in a regal scroll atop the cream colored base color of the sign.

As Katniss walked through the front door, she saw that there was a line of customers waiting to reach the counter, and she didn't know what else to do, so she just took her place in line. She looked around to see if she could find Peeta, but he was nowhere to be found, most likely in the back room working. The smells that filled her nose made her already grumbling stomach even more loud, demanding food, and soon. Katniss took the opportunity to look at the case of pastries from her vantage point in the line, and decided she could treat herself today. It wasn't often she got fresh-baked anything, and it had been a long shift.

As the line of waiting customers grew shorter in front of her, only about eight people now, Katniss remained focused on the pastries, not hearing the man walking slowly up behind her, until he said right next to her ear "See something you like?"

Katniss jumped, feeling warm breath on her ear and neck, and tried to suppress the involuntary shiver that ran through her. She turned to see Peeta grinning at her, with only the slightest hint of apology in his eyes.

"Sorry if I startled you, I don't think I've ever seen anyone so focused on pastries before," Peeta said, still smiling, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Um, yeah, it's okay. I guess I was trying to figure out what to get, I've never really been to a bakery before," Katniss explained, her brain feeling fuzzy, and heart racing. Which, she wasn't convinced, stemmed from him startling her. She watched as his mouth dropped open in disbelief, and slowly started shaking his head.

"Never? Nope, not okay. We're going to fix this, now. Good thing you're friends with the owner. Come on, I have your jacket in the back," Peeta said excitedly and grabbed her hand to pull her along.

Katniss immediately felt at ease, his large warm hand engulfing her own; normally she would shy away from physical contact, but this felt right for some reason, so natural she couldn't fight it. As she trailed behind him around the counter and through the swinging door to the back room, she noticed raised eyebrows and happy smiles from the two employees working the counter. Peeta continued to hold her hand securely, bringing her over to a table that was covered in bowls of icing in every color, and trays of cupcakes that were waiting to be decorated. He set her down on a stool at the one clean corner of the table and said "Don't move, I'll be right back." Katniss didn't think she could move if she wanted to, something in his eyes had her pinned to this spot.

He then turned around and went back through the swinging door to the front of the store for a brief moment, and then came back into the work room, a small plate in his hand. The plate held two buns, that appeared to be topped with a golden cheese and herb mixture, which he sat in front of her with a flourish. "Ta-da! I present to you, cheese buns. These little babies are my specialty, and I have a feeling they might be your new favorite thing," Peeta quipped, excitement sparking in his eyes, his cheeks faintly flushed.

Katniss gave a small nod, and grabbing one of the buns, took a bite, barely suppressing the moan of satisfaction that threatened to escape her lips. 'Holy crap, this is amazing' she thought to herself. The bun itself was buttery and light, the herb and cheese mixture giving it a slight crunch, but the best part was the mass of gooey, melted cheese exploding from the middle of the bun.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing! How did you know I'd go for this, not something sweet?" Katniss asked with a mouthful, manners forgotten.

"Well, I can read people pretty well, especially when it comes to what kind of bread I think they will like. It's a gift," Peeta shrugged, inwardly beaming with joy. This is one of the reasons he loved his job, it brought him genuine joy to feed people and see them enjoy what he made.

"Yeah, I'd definitely say it's a gift," Katniss said in between bites, already going for the second bun.

"I'm glad you like it. I'm going to go grab your jacket from my office, be right back."

Katniss sat at the table, continuing to munch on the second cheese bun that was almost gone. She suddenly realized how quickly she had inhaled the treat, feeling slightly embarrassed at her lack of manners. It was force of habit to eat quickly, as usually at work if she didn't eat fast she didn't eat at all, since a doctor or patient always needed something.

"Here ya go. How was work?" Peeta returned from his office with her jacket in hand.

"Thanks, it was okay. Long night, but those cheese buns definitely just made my day," Katniss said. Then her face flamed, as she took the jacket from Peeta. 'Did that sound like some kind of terrible pick-up line? Oh crap.' Katniss asked herself. She chanced a look at Peeta, who was just grinning at her like a fool, and figured it was okay.

"I'm glad. So, um, what's your schedule like for the rest of the week? Maybe we could get together again? I really enjoyed spending time with you the other night," Peeta asked nervously, running his hand over the back of his neck. He hoped he wasn't being too forward, but he was eager to spend more time with Katniss, get to know her, and hopefully see where things went.

"I don't work again until next Monday, our shifts are rotating again, and other than lunch with Annie on Friday, I'm free," Katniss volunteered, trying not to be too eager, because despite her best efforts, she could not find it in her to make herself stay a safe distance from Peeta. But they were friends, now, right? What could it hurt? She knew her limits, and was determined to stay in her safe box of not feeling anything more than friendship.

"Great! Maybe dinner tomorrow? I'll pick you up, I know this great spot in a park that's nearby, Eli has been begging for a picnic."

"Sounds great. I'd love to be outside for a while, I miss it."

"Okay. I'll be by your house at 6:00, and don't worry about bringing anything, just yourself," Peeta insisted, as Katniss began to open her mouth to speak. "Really, I've got it."

"Alright. See you then. Thanks for the cheese buns, they were amazing. How much do I owe you?" Katniss asked, standing up to get her wallet out of her purse.

"Nope, it's on the house. Call it an educational sample. I couldn't go on letting you be in the dark about bakery fare," Peeta teased.

"Thanks. I guess I better get home, my dog will be going nuts about now, and I need sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Peeta," Katniss said as he walked her back to the front of the store, and watched her walk out to her car.

"Ooooh, I think the boss has a crush," Peeta heard the voice of one of his employees at the counter. The crowd from before had cleared out, except for a couple of people still drinking their coffee and reading the paper in the corner.

Peeta turned to face Rue, a young girl of about 19 who had been working for him for a year, his face slightly flushed which didn't help his case. She just smiled, her dark skin brightening with her grin, and said, "It's about time."

Peeta laughed quietly at Rue as he walked past her into the back room where he began decorating cupcakes. He knew it was no use to try to deny it, because it was true; he had a crush on Katniss Everdeen. And she seemed like a tough nut to crack, but Lord help him, he was going to try.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for your patience, I had a busy weekend with graduation (done with nursing school!) & visiting with my brother and his family who are in from out of town. But never fear, this story is going to continue! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG.**

"Katniss, look at the butterfly I found!" Eli squealed happily, running back towards the area where Peeta and Katniss were sitting, getting the picnic set up. "It's orange, so Uncle Peeta will like it too!"

"It's beautiful, Eli, thank you for showing it to us. But don't hang on to it too long, it needs to fly, okay?" Peeta said, smiling at his nephew's enthusiasm for colorful things. Peeta had dabbled in art and painting for as long as he could remember, and the prospect of one day teaching Eli, or even his own children, how to paint was something he was looking forward to very much.

"I take it orange is your favorite color, then?" Katniss asked him, while taking the sandwiches and napkins out of the large basket.

"Yeah, but more of a muted orange, like a sunset," Peeta explained.

"Like the color of the writing on the sign at the bakery?"

Peeta looked at Katniss in surprise, she had only been to the bakery once, so he didn't think she would have paid attention to those details.

"That's exactly my favorite color. Dad let me paint it when I was 16, the old sign was chipped and peeling, so we got some old barn siding from a friend and he let me run with it; made it my first somewhat serious art project," Peeta said, his voice sounding sad, but a small smile played on his face at the memory as he fumbled around with the blanket, trying to spread it out on the ground.

"Were you close to your dad?" Katniss asked quietly. She felt bad that she didn't know much of anything about his family, he never seemed to talk about them. Katniss felt selfish for not asking him before, mostly because she wasn't sure how to deal with seeing Peeta in pain. Something about the thought of anything hurting him really bothered her, and she wanted to avoid having to make a fool of herself with her lack of social skills and inability with comforting words.

"Uh, yeah, we were really close. He was my best friend, always teaching me things about baking, how to interact with customers, and he even supported my interest in art, something my mother never did," Peeta said the last few words so quietly he wasn't sure if Katniss had even heard him. "But then, my mom and I never really got along super well; which probably sounds terrible to say since she's gone, but it's the truth. I was always disappointing her, never quite lived up to her expectations," Peeta finished sadly. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he stilled his movements of digging three bottles of water from the basket, turning to see Katniss's hand squeeze his shoulder lightly.

"I think you're a great friend, and look at all you've done for Eli. And you make some of the best food I've ever eaten," Katniss chuckled a little at her last sentence, still a little embarrassed about how she ate in front of him at the bakery.

"Thanks. It helps to talk about them sometimes, makes me remember what was real when they were here, especially Dad. I can only hope to do as great a job raising Eli, and someday my own kids, as he did with me and Jon."

Katniss could see how wonderful a father Peeta would be; if anyone was destined to be a parent, it was him. Another reason Katniss could not let herself fall for Peeta, it wouldn't be fair because she wouldn't, couldn't, give him children. Then she realized her hand was still on Peeta's shoulder, and he had covered her hand with his own, burning her skin and making those damn butterflies come back into her stomach full force. But it was also comforting, contact with him made her feel safe, which was something she hadn't realized she needed.

Peeta cleared his throat, snapping Katniss back to reality, where they were both sitting on the blanket with the picnic now ready. Peeta called Eli over and the group began eating the simple but delicious peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches on Peeta's homemade honey wheat bread. The two adults were quiet as they listened to Eli relate his latest discovery, after releasing the butterfly.

"And the worm was this long!" he said excitedly, holding his pointer fingers eight inches apart. "It was slimy too! I don't think I like worms too much, they are too squishy for me," Eli said, his voice taking on a serious tone.

Peeta couldn't help but laugh, his nephew was certainly a carbon copy of Jon, who also disliked worms, and all manner of crawly things for that matter. He continued laughing even harder as he remembered a time that he had chased his brother around the backyard with two worms dangling from his fingers, threatening to throw them on Jon, while his brother ran screaming like a girl.

Katniss and Eli, not privy to Peeta's thoughts, looked at him as though he had gone mad, but slowly began to laugh too. Peeta had one of those infectious laughs that just made others happy, and as Katniss began to laugh along with him, her walls began breaking down that much more. She had never seen him this happy, and he had every reason to be the opposite, especially with their topic of conversation right before they ate dinner.

"What's so funny, Uncle Peeta?" Eli asked, once he had settled down from laughing.

"Oh, just remembering how much your daddy didn't like worms either. We used to make a game of it, I would chase him around with worms and he would run away from me," Peeta croaked out, his voice hoarse from laughing so hard. He knew it really wasn't that funny, but it felt so good to laugh after not laughing for such a long time; and he'd gotten to hear Katniss laugh, a rare thing, and he thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

"Yuck!" Eli said, making a face of disgust at the idea of being chased with the slimy worms.

Katniss watched the interaction between Peeta and his nephew, noting how happy they both seemed today, finally not weighed down by grief and sadness, but able to relive happy memories and remember the joy that had once been. She found herself smiling, again, as was becoming a habit around Peeta and Eli, because their happiness was infectious. Just then, Peeta caught her eye, and flashed her that crooked grin that she was growing to love, and felt her own smile get bigger.

* * *

On the drive back to Katniss's house, the car was fairly quiet, Eli was fast asleep in the back seat, tired out from the exertions at the picnic. Following their meal, he had insisted Peeta and Katniss play tag with him, running around their little section of the green grass, which he had named 'The Meadow', until he all but passed out from exhaustion. As they picked up the picnic supplies and made their way to Peeta's parked car, Katniss carried the basket while Peeta carried Eli snugly against his chest, the small boy's head resting on Peeta's shoulder, his little arms wrapped around his uncle's neck. The way Peeta gently settled Eli in his booster seat once in the car reinforced Katniss's earlier thoughts that Peeta would be a great father one day.

"You are doing a great job with him, by the way," Katniss told Peeta quietly from the passenger seat in the car.

"Thanks, today was a good day. It helps that he loves having you around, too. I can see why he likes having you as a friend, you're pretty great," Peeta replied, making Katniss shift a little in her seat and fidget with her hands. She had never been particularly good at taking compliments.

"Thank you, but I hardly think that. I'm not very good at being friends, my lack of social skills should have made that obvious by now," Katniss muttered, not sure if Peeta had even heard her.

"What do you mean, lack of social skills?" Peeta asked incredulously, sneaking a glance at her before turning back to watch the road.

"I mean, I don't do small talk very well, I'm awkward, I have no idea how to act around kids, let alone guys. I've only had one guy friend in my life and that didn't end well, and other than him, I can count the number of friends I have on one hand."

"Hm, I don't see that at all when I'm with you. I see a woman who says only what needs to be said, who is great with my nephew, and as far as the number of friends you have, that really doesn't matter. I see you as a confident, beautiful woman who has no idea the effect she has on other people," Peeta explains in a gentle tone. He really hoped he didn't overstep the friend line, but Katniss clearly needed to hear how much of a difference she had made in their lives already. And there was the fact that she didn't know how to take a compliment, and he was going to try to turn that around, because he wasn't sure that she had heard many of them before.

Katniss was silent for a minute, pondering what Peeta had just said to her. He had managed to spin her self-perception of being inadequate in every way, to some kind of woman she had no idea he saw. And the tone of his voice had thrown her for a loop, there was a softness with an edge of insistence, like he was trying to convince her to see herself the way he saw her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I guess I'm not used to hearing things like that about myself."

"I think we all see the worst in ourselves, that's why we need friends around to set us straight," he told Katniss as they arrived in her driveway.

"Thanks for dinner and the picnic, it was great. I think that was probably the best PB&J I've ever had in my life," Katniss thanked Peeta as she unbuckled her seat belt and made to depart the car.

"You're welcome, thanks for coming, we both enjoyed seeing you again," Peeta told Katniss, looking at her with those immensely blue eyes, and a warm smile. "Talk to you later."

Katniss waved as she shut the car door and walked up to her front door. As she unlocked and opened the front door, she turned to see that Peeta's car was still parked in the driveway, and he had gotten out of the car, and was heading toward her.

"Hey Katniss, um, do you think we could hang out sometime?" Peeta asked her nervously.

"Well, yeah, that's kind of what we've been doing," Katniss replied with a light laugh, confused as to why he was so nervous. They were friends, so it was a given that they would hang out again.

Peeta let out a chuckle, and continued, "Yeah, we did. But, I kind of meant maybe just you and me? Finnick and Annie volunteered to watch Eli for the weekend; he loves Finnick and informed me they need some 'bro time', whatever that is. So, are you free this weekend?"

Katniss surprised them both by immediately saying, "Yes, I'm free all weekend."

"Great, um so Friday? I'll call you?" Peeta asked, less nervous now that she had agreed so easily.

"Sure, sounds great."

"Okay, good. Well, have a goodnight," Peeta said, a giddy feeling spreading through him at the thought of spending time alone with Katniss. He loved being with his nephew, but sometimes he longed to have entire adult conversation, without getting interrupted to talk about legos, juice, or kindergarten drama.

"Goodnight, Peeta," Katniss said as he turned around to go back to his vehicle. She went inside her house then, closing the door behind her and leaned back against it, processing what had just taken place. She had agreed to hang out with Peeta alone on Friday, and was surprisingly quick to agree. Was this like a date? Surely not, just two friends spending time together, and it would be a good to get to know him better. Katniss figured she would ask Annie about it at lunch Friday, and pray that her friend wouldn't get the wrong idea about her and Peeta.

Katniss went about her evening routine, taking Rosie for a short walk, feeding her for the night, and settling into bed with a good book. As her eyes grew heavy, Katniss gave up reading, and turned off the lamp on her bedside table, allowing herself to sink into her sheets and let sleep overcome her.

* * *

"Katniss, I am so glad that you and Peeta have managed to hit it off so well, he needs friends now. What are you guys doing tonight?" Annie had been gushing about Katniss and Peeta's relationship for the last ten minutes, and Katniss was getting just a little frustrated, she didn't like to think that Annie was getting the wrong idea about them. The two friends had met for lunch on Annie's break from the hospital, where she worked as a child life specialist. Her job was to make sure that the children admitted as patients in the hospital had a holistic approach to their care, including alternative therapy, and new ways of continuing psychosocial development. The quiet woman absolutely loved working with children, and they seemed to gravitate toward her, which made her excellent at developing relationships with her patients and their families, making the admission experience more bearable for everyone.

"I'm not sure, he has to close the bakery so he's coming to my house right after work. I think we're just going to order a pizza, watch a movie...I don't know. It's not like it's a date or anything, we're just hanging out," Katniss explained to Annie, who now sat with an amused smirk and raised her eyebrows at the mention of a 'date'.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't mention it being a date, but now that you bring it up...would it be so bad if it was a date?"

"You know how I feel about all that, Annie."

Annie gave an irritated huff, fixed Katniss with as patient an expression as she could manage and said, "Yes, and I think you're wrong. You really want to be alone all your life? Yes, love is scary and it means taking a risk, but the reward is far greater. Just promise me you'll give it a chance if something happens with Peeta, or any guy for that matter. Though I don't think you could do much better than Peeta, in my opinion. He's so kind, not to mention very attractive..." Annie trailed off, watching Katniss's face turn more red by the minute.

"Fine, Annie, we'll see. But Peeta would not be interested in me, I'm quiet, sullen and closed-off, and so plain; he deserves someone better who would give him everything he deserves," Katniss said quietly, trying to ignore the sharp pang in her heart at the thought of Peeta with another woman.

"Just go with it, that's all I'm saying. Peeta doesn't get many nights off from taking care of Eli, so just make sure it's a good one." Annie then continued to ramble on about some new therapies she wants to introduce on the pediatric unit, including pet therapy, but Katniss was lost in thoughts about the blue-eyed baker they had been discussing.

She thought about how a life with him would be: Peeta running his beloved bakery, Katniss being able to continue work as a nurse since Peeta didn't seem the type to want his wife to quit her job, and helping raise Eli. Katniss suddenly saw the image of two children, a girl with blonde curls and gray eyes, and a small boy with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes, running hand in hand through a patch of green grass that was similar to the park they had a picnic in a few days ago. And as they watched their kids play in the grass, she and Peeta gazed at each other, his strong hand holding hers gently.

"Hello? Earth to Katniss?" Annie was staring at Katniss, as she realized she had gotten lost in her daydream.

"Sorry, I'm listening, just zoned out for a second. Puppies on the unit? That sounds great," Katniss recovered, trying to shake her head clear of the scene that had unfolded in her mind. The worst, or best, part of the whole thing was that not once while she envisioned a future with Peeta did she feel regret or worry, just happiness. Happiness was not an emotion she was well-versed in, but decided she liked it anyway.

* * *

Peeta was beat, the bakery had been crazy all week, but was especially so today; a Friday in early June, was the epitome of busy with the number of wedding cake orders coming in. The business was great, and Peeta couldn't be happier that the bakery was doing so well, but the stress was beginning to get to him. He needed to hire another baker, one that could hopefully also assist with the decorating of said cakes and special orders, because all of that burden fell to Peeta at the current moment. As he locked the front door, switching off the lights on his way to the back room to exit the building, the exhaustion of the day began to weigh on him. But as Peeta grabbed the box of pastries he had made to take to Katniss's house that evening, he began to feel renewed energy. He had been looking forward to this evening for the last two days, and couldn't believe he had actually plucked up the courage to ask her to hang out with him, just him, after their picnic. It had felt right, and Peeta wanted to act on that uncharacteristic courage that found it's way into his heart at that moment, so he just did it.

Peeta got into his car and began the drive to Katniss's house, all the while wondering what it was she had planned for them this evening. When he texted her this morning to see what he needed to bring for dinner and asked what the plan was, she had replied with "No real plan in place. And you don't need to bring anything, but, I wouldn't be upset if you brought more of those cheese buns." A goofy grin began to spread on Peeta's face as he remembered her devouring two of the pastries in about 60 seconds the first time she tried them. He knew it was a hazard of the job as a nurse to eat quickly, but seeing the way Katniss had enjoyed his creation had filled him with an odd sense of pride and happiness.

About three miles from Katniss's house, Peeta decided to call Annie and Finnick to check on Eli for the night; as he listened to the phone ring he thought again of how grateful he was for a weekend off of 'parent' duty. Peeta had dropped Eli off at Annie and Finnick's house after school, taking a quick and much-needed break from the bakery, and Eli had been all smiles on the short drive. He was excited to spend time with Finnick, whom Eli had always considered to be another uncle, and he loved the way Annie would dote on him, making his favorite foods and allowing him to stay up past his normal bedtime.

"Hello?" Annie answered the phone after about three rings.

"Hey Annie, it's Peeta. Just calling to check up on little man, everything going okay?" Peeta asked, hoping not to sound too neurotic or overbearing.

"Yep, we're fine! Getting ready to dig in to some chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. Do you want to talk to him?" Annie asked, as Peeta heard Eli laughing in the background.

"Sure, put him on."

"Hi Uncle Peeta! Annie made me mac & cheese, and Finnick was building stuff with me with my legos," Eli explained excitedly.

"Sounds like fun, buddy. You make sure to mind them, okay? Go to bed when they tell you, and no arguing," Peeta reminded his nephew as he pulled up in front of Katniss's house.

"Yeah, Uncle Peeta, I know, I'll be good. What are you doing tonight? Are you going home alone?" Eli asked curiously, as though he had never given thought to what his uncle does without him.

"Um, I'm going to have dinner with Katniss tonight," Peeta explained to Eli.

"Oh, wow! Have fun, I like Katniss! Tell her I said hi."

"Will do, little man. Have fun, I love you. Can you put Annie back on the phone?"

"Okay, I love you too. Here's Annie," Eli said as he scurried off, most likely back to Finnick and his legos.

"We're good here, Peeta. Enjoy your time off, and have fun with Katniss," Annie said. Peeta could practically hear her sly smile and wink over the phone.

"Okay, I will. I'm at her house now, so I'm going to let you go. Call me if you need anything. Thanks again, Annie," Peeta replied.

"Of course. Bye, Peeta."

As he hung up from his phone call with Annie, Peeta unbuckled his seat belt, grabbed the box of cheese buns, and made his way to the front door. He knocked, nervous for some strange reason, and he instantly heard Rosie's constant booming bark from the other side of the door. If he hadn't seen the dog in person and knew how sweet she was, Peeta would be terrified of the menacing bark that came from inside of the house, which was probably a good thing. A single woman living alone in the city needed some form of protection, and Rosie was just that for Katniss, even if he was fairly certain Katniss would be able to take care of herself. The door swung open after the barking stopped, and Katniss stood in front of him, a small smile on her face.

"Hi, come on in," Katniss said, stepping aside to allow Peeta in the house, taking the pastry box from his hands.

"Hi, thanks. Those are cheese buns, by the way," Peeta explained as he stepped into the house, although she probably already knew what was in the box.

"Really? Those things are so good, I'm pretty sure I've had dreams about them since I tried them that day in the bakery," Katniss explained with a small grin and flushed cheeks.

"Good thing I brought them, then," Peeta replied with an easy smile. He sensed that social interaction seemed difficult for her, so he was determined to do everything possible to help her talk to him comfortably. He jumped a bit as he felt Rosie's cold nose come in contact with his hand, demanding his attention.

"I think my dog missed you. You must be something special, she has growled at every other man that has so much as looked at my house, but not you. It's the damnedest thing," Katniss said, her cheeks only faintly pink at this admission, making her look even more beautiful in Peeta's opinion. She was wearing a dark green v-neck t-shirt under a purple plaid flannel shirt with dark jeans and moccasins. Peeta now became aware of his own probably disheveled appearance, he was usually a mess after a full day at the bakery, even finding frosting and flour in his hair on occasion. He had been more concerned about checking in on Eli than bothering to look in a mirror, so he could only hope that he looked okay in his jeans, and plain gray cotton shirt.

"I guess she just knows I'm harmless. Or she likes me for my baking skills, either one is fine with me," Peeta said as he scratched behind Rosie's ears. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Well, I ordered a pizza, which should be getting here any minute, and I figured we could watch a movie, hang out, talk...and I think there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight at 10:30, so the fire pit in my backyard is ready to work. If you want, it's up to you..." Katniss trailed off, she seemed unsure of her plan now.

"That sounds great! It was a super busy day at the bakery, so I am all for chilling and taking it easy," Peeta assured her, and he really was appreciative of the low-key evening she had planned.

There was a knock on the door, and Rosie bounded away from Peeta toward the door to harass the delivery man, and Katniss went to retrieve the pizza. Peeta made his way to the living room and wandered around, looking at the few pictures on the wall, and smiled to himself when he saw the same picture of Katniss, Annie and Prim that hung in Annie's office. He decided that if he was being completely honest with himself, that was when he really began falling for Katniss Everdeen. He just hoped that she would open up to him, give whatever their relationship was a chance to be something spectacular.

**So I know it's a weird place to end, but this chapter was getting way too big. This was the best place to end it, and I hope to have the next part up very soon. Thanks for reading, feel free to review! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hello my lovely readers! I'm glad folks seemed to like the last chapter, even though it was kind of an awkward ending. But here's the next chapter, I think y'all are going to like this one! Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG, or the song ****_Come Home_**** by OneRepublic.**

Ch. 8

"Okay, I like my own cooking, but this is the best pizza I have ever had! Why have I never heard of this place?" Peeta asked around a mouthful of pizza.

Katniss chuckled, looking at the look of bliss on Peeta's face as they sat at her dining room table sharing the pizza she had ordered from a local joint called _Greasy Sae's_. She and Annie had discovered the little dive pizza shop when Katniss had first moved to Knoxville. "Well, I stumbled across it when I moved here. Annie and I were walking around downtown, she was trying to help me with directions and we smelled the place. Literally, Annie sniffed the place out like a bloodhound, and the rest is history."

"I've never been more glad about Annie's uncanny smelling ability, if it led y'all to this place," Peeta stated emphatically, a little of his southern twang showing up in his voice. It tended to do this every now and then, a characteristic that Katniss found to be endearing, as it reminded her of Haymitch's midwestern drawl, which reminded her of home.

After a couple more minutes, the two had managed to finish off the end of the pizza and decided to settle on the couch and watch a movie. Katniss couldn't understand what she had been so nervous about, being alone with Peeta was much easier than she had anticipated; he had a way of making her feel at ease, as though they had known each other for a long time. They selected an action movie, Peeta stating that he wanted to avoid animation for the evening.

"So, what made you want to be a nurse?" Peeta asked her a few minutes into the movie.

"I have always liked helping people, but I have to be honest in saying that my sister's death had a lot to do with it. And my mom, she was sick for a long time before she and my dad died," Katniss answered him quietly. She normally didn't share about her family, but she was determined to give this...thing...with Peeta a chance and try to be something other than her usual closed-off self.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I have to say, having seen you in action, you seem like a great nurse. Can I ask what was wrong with your mom?" Peeta asked gently, not wanting to push Katniss too much, but he was curious to know more about her, and what made her emotional walls so impenetrable.

Katniss took a deep breath, and slowly began to explain her mother's experience with bipolar disorder, and how her parents died, leaving her to pretty much raise Prim on her own. Peeta was quiet, letting her take her time getting through the story, with the necessary pauses to gather her thoughts, and when she came to the part about how hearing her parents fight impacted her childhood, Peeta put his hand on hers. He rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, gently encouraging her to continue.

"I guess psychological problems run deep in my mother's family: she had bipolar, her brother, my Uncle Haymitch, is an alcoholic, and we're pretty sure their parents had signs of schizophrenia. So, as far as genetics go, the odds are definitely not in my favor," Katniss ended her explanation shakily, almost hoping that he would know now that she wasn't worth the trouble of pursuing a relationship with. She looked up at Peeta, since she had been looking straight ahead the entire time she was talking, and saw his eyes reflecting sadness, but determination; determination for what, she didn't know.

"Wow, I'm glad you shared that with me. It explains a lot about why you would pick up and move down here. And even though the circumstances were less than ideal, I'm glad you're here now," said Peeta.

"Me too."

* * *

After she shared the story of the ghosts she had left behind in Indiana, Katniss realized a very important thing: she trusted Peeta. And she never trusted anyone, letting people in was usually just a set up for getting hurt later, with the exception of a few people in her life. Upon realizing this, Katniss immediately began to debate internally about whether or not to remove her hand from Peeta's where he was still holding it on the couch, or just relish in the feeling of warmth.

"Question: can we go outside to your fire pit now? Being outside sounds really great after being in the bakery all day," Peeta requested.

"Of course, let me get the blankets from the closet, there's a bench out there already. The matches are out there, can you start the fire?"

"Sure, I used to have to start fires in our old ovens all the time. I was probably the only kid around that was encouraged to know how to use matches," Peeta laughed as he headed out the back door to the metal ring that enclosed a pile of wood neatly arranged to be lit.

Katniss retrieved two large blankets from the closet, although they probably wouldn't need them, it still got chilly at night in the damp summer air, so she didn't want either of them to get sick. Rosie, who had been laying quietly between Katniss and Peeta's feet the whole time they were watching the movie, was now running around in excitement at the move into the backyard, and followed Katniss out the back door. Katniss had finished building the five-foot-tall privacy fence little by little until the whole back yard was enclosed, allowing Rosie to run around freely. The dog was immediately by Peeta's side where he was kneeling next to the fire pit getting the fire started. Seeing how well Rosie had taken to Peeta made Katniss happy, it was rare that her dog got really close to any of her other friends. This fact made Peeta all the more special to Katniss.

Katniss walked over to the bench that sat next to the fire ring and plopped down on the cushioned seat, scooting to one end to make room for Peeta, since the bench wasn't very big. She couldn't afford a set of chairs when she moved here, so the old dilapidated wooden structure she had found at a second hand store would work. And now she had grown fond of the chipped green paint on the wooden bench, so she couldn't see replacing it.

"Yes! I've still got some serious fire-making skills," Peeta claimed proudly, gesturing toward the small flames now flickering at the base of the wood pile in the pit.

"I'd say so," Katniss replied as Peeta made to sit down beside her. "Sorry I don't have proper chairs, this bench is a little small."

"It's no problem, I don't mind sitting close to you," Peeta said with a wink as he sat down, his leg about two inches from her own, close enough that Katniss could feel the heat is body was radiating. Something in the tone of his voice made Katniss's face flush a bit and the fluttering in her stomach to begin again.

"Well, good. I brought a couple blankets in case it gets chilly, and we still have about an hour until the meteor shower is supposed to happen."

"Okay. So, what do you want to do?" Peeta asked.

"Uh, how about a game? Like 20 Questions?" Katniss asked, she was interested to learn more about Peeta, even the small things.

"Sure. You can ask first," Peeta said.

"Favorite bakery item?" Katniss asked curiously, wondering if a baker could have a favorite baked good.

"Cinnamon rolls. My turn. Favorite flower?" Peeta fired back.

"Gerber daisy, purple ones. Um, odd quirk or quirks about yourself?"

Peeta furrowed his brow in concentration, before smiling and saying, "I double knot my shoelaces, sleep with at least one window open, and don't take sugar in my tea."

"Wait, you don't like sweet tea? Why didn't you say something? That's all I've been serving, I didn't know..." Katniss trailed off. Peeta's chuckling made her snap her eyes to his face, where that crooked grin is now in place.

"Katniss, it's no problem. I like sweet tea, it's more that I don't put sugar in hot tea. Okay, my turn. First pet?"

"I guess that would be Buttercup, Prim's old cat. The thing was hopelessly ugly, malnourished and the meanest cat to ever walk this earth, but Prim just had to bring him home from the field across the road. He followed her with very little fuss, Prim was just one of those people that animals are drawn to, kind of like you and Rosie," Katniss answered, looking pointedly at the place where Rosie's head was now lying on Peeta's knee. "Your first pet?"

"Uh, well, never had one," Peeta admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wait, what? Not even a hampster?" Katniss asked incredulously.

"Nope, my mom was a really strict lady, and she didn't want to risk an animal ruining her perfect house or costing too much to take care of. So, we played with our neighbor's dog most of the time, and would pretend that we had a dog."

"Wow, I couldn't imagine not having Rosie, or even Buttercup around. Peeta, can I ask what happened to your parents? I mean, you don't have to tell me, I guess I was wondering how you ended up in this position..." Katniss began mumbling at the end of the sentence, unsure of how Peeta would respond to such a personal question.

"Yeah, you can ask me anything, Katniss. My mom died of a brain aneurysm when I was 19, and my dad had a heart attack a year later. He lived for a while after the heart attack, but his heart wasn't strong enough and he eventually kind of gave up."

"Peeta, I'm so sorry," Katniss didn't know what else to say, not being good with words. She usually relied more on her actions, so she gently placed her hand on his, giving it a light squeeze and looking into his eyes, hoping to convey that she understood and would be there for him.

"Thanks. I can't tell you how nice it is to have someone to talk to about this that understands, Finnick and Annie are great about it, but they don't really get it. Not like you, anyway," Peeta told Katniss gently, and she saw his shoulders visibly relax, as though the need to talk about it had been a burden that he was now relieved of.

Katniss found herself leaning into Peeta's shoulder, he was so solid; she felt safe sitting next to him, like they could protect each other from the ghosts of their pasts. She knew she was falling fast, and the thought scared her, but she was overwhelmed by the immediate bond she felt with this man, so she decided to try to go with it. She could practically see Prim's smiling face as she let herself get lost in Peeta.

"I have a confession, Katniss," Peeta began slowly. Katniss felt her heart drop, this was it, the moment he realized she wasn't worth the effort. She braced herself for the hurt that was about to befall her. She chanced a look up at his face when he began speaking again, and saw a softness had come across his expression, his eyes shining slightly. "I heard you singing to Eli that night a couple of weeks ago, when he had that nightmare. You have the most beautiful voice. Why don't you sing more often?"

Katniss was completely taken aback, she had no idea Peeta had heard her comforting Eli that night.

"Um, I guess because it reminds me of my dad, and Prim. My dad taught me to sing, and we would sing together in his truck whenever we drove somewhere. And that song is what I would sing to Prim to calm her down when she had nightmares or couldn't sleep," Katniss explained.

"I see. Well, I really appreciate how you helped Eli that night, it was wonderful and kind of you. And I hope that one day I can hear you sing again," Peeta finished hopefully.

"Maybe."

"How about we play some tunes? It's still about 30 minutes until the time for the meteor shower, we can just chill for a bit. Leave the heavy stuff for now," Peeta suggested, and Katniss readily agreed, going into the house for her iHome to bring outside. It was the one thing she bought for herself from the bundle of money Haymitch gave her after graduating from nursing school. The old man knew her love for music and inability to spend money on something for herself, so he insisted on accompanying her to make sure she got something she wanted, for once. Katniss hooked up her iPod and hit shuffle, letting the device decide what to play as she settled back down on the bench beside Peeta, who was gazing at the fire thoughtfully.

"Wow, you have pretty broad taste in music. The last three songs have been country, 80s, and pop; I have to say I'm impressed," Peeta said, a bemused expression coloring his features.

"Yeah, I really do like a little bit of everything. It's terrible, I go through phases of listening to the same playlist until I'm tired of it, then move on to the next. It's a cycle."

"I appreciate that you like lots of different stuff. You are constantly surprising me, Everdeen."

Katniss simply smiled, and leaned back to look up at the sky, admiring the stars. She could feel Peeta's eyes on her, but she stayed focused on the task of finding constellations. After about ten minutes, she felt his breath as he whispered in her ear, "Dance with me?"

"What?"

"I love this song, and was hoping that you would dance with me," Peeta insisted gently.

"Uh, in my backyard?" Katniss looked around, even though no one would be able to see them since her fence was up.

"Yeah, in your backyard, under the stars. You don't have to, but I'd like it if you would," Peeta continued wheedling at her, and Katniss felt her resolve wearing down.

"Okay."

"Thanks. Can we start the song over? Since I was busy coercing you for about half of it?" he asked mischievously. Damn those blue eyes, Katniss couldn't say no even though she would like for this dance to be as short as possible.

Peeta stood, and went to where the iHome sat on the porch step to restart the song. He then walked back over to Katniss, still sitting on the bench, and made a big show of offering his hand to her, asking, "May I have this dance, my lady?"

Katniss found herself laughing, and accepted his hand as she stood to stand in front of him. He wrapped his left arm around her waist after placing her right hand on his shoulder, and took her left hand in his right. As they began slowly moving together, Katniss couldn't help but acknowledge how close they were, barely six inches separated their bodies.

"I should warn you and your toes, I don't really dance all that well," Katniss said with a smile on her face, trying to cover her nerves about their proximity.

"Sorry, you already agreed, you can't get out of it now."

"That was just a fair warning, I'm not trying to get out of anything. I know better than to try to argue with you by now," Katniss confessed.

They continued to slowly rotate in a circle, neither one knowing how to do much more than that. Peeta was beside himself with joy at finally being able to hold Katniss in his arms. Together they fell into silence, just listening to the words of the song as they drifted in the warm summer air.

_Hello world, Hope you're listening_

_Forgive me if I'm young, For speaking out of turn_

_There's someone I've been missing _

_I think that they could be, The better half of me_

_They're in the wrong place trying to make it right_

_But I'm tired of justifying, So I say to you.._

_Come home, Come home_

_Cause I've been waiting for you_

_For so long, For so long_

_Right now there's a war between the vanities_

_But all I see is you and me_

_The fight for you is all I've ever known_

_So come home_

_I get lost in the beauty, Of everything I see_

_The world ain't half as bad, As they paint it to be_

_If all the sons, All the daughters_

_Stopped to take it in_

_Well hopefully the hate subsides and the love can begin_

_It might start now, Well maybe I'm just dreaming out loud_

_Until then..._

_Come home, Come home_

_Cause I've been waiting for you_

_For so long, For so long_

_Right now there's a war between the vanities_

_But all I see is you and me_

_The fight for you is all I've ever known_

_Ever known, So come home_

_Everything I can't be, Is everything you should be_

_And that's why I need you here_

_Everything I can't be, Is everything you should be_

_And that's why I need you here, So hear this now..._

_Come home, Come home_

_Cause I've been waiting for you_

_For so long, For so long_

_Right now there's a war between the vanities_

_But all I see is you and me_

_The fight for you is all I've ever known_

_Ever known, So come home_

_Come home_

As the song came to an end, Katniss found that she had gotten lost in the moment, and had laid her head on Peeta's shoulder as he pulled her closer. He was so warm, and she could feel his breath on her neck, making her shiver despite the heat coming over her body. His scent, sweet like cinnamon and flour, and something else that just seemed to be simply him, invaded her senses as she found herself melting further into him. She chanced a look up at his face, and immediately found herself looking at his lips, as he was staring at hers.

Slowly, Peeta lowered his face toward hers, as if giving her time to decide against it, and finally, _finally_, his lips softly touched hers. Katniss felt a warmth begin to spread from her chest to her fingertips as her lips moved tentatively against his, working her hands up around his neck to thread her fingers through his curls at the back of his head. Peeta's hands came up to cup her face and he deepened the kiss, sweetly capturing her bottom lip between his, and nipping softly, eliciting a sound between a squeak and a moan from Katniss. As they pulled apart, Katniss opened her eyes to see Peeta looking into her eyes with a look that she faintly recognized but couldn't put a name to. He was grinning like fool at her, and Katniss felt the corners of her mouth prick up as the warm feeling spread throughout her body to her toes.

Suddenly, Rosie began barking loudly at the iHome, where a particularly loud and obtrusive song had begun playing, ending the moment. As Katniss detangled herself from Peeta to switch songs and hush Rosie, she felt her head get a little dizzy and her legs seemed to not want to work all of a sudden. After subduing the dog, Katniss turned back to Peeta to see him sitting back down on the bench, arms open to her and periodically looking up at the sky where the meteor shower had begun.

Katniss settled down beside Peeta on the bench as he wrapped a blanket around both of them in the damp night air, and rested her head on his chest as he secured his arms around her.

"I really like you, Katniss. And that kiss was amazing."

Katniss was quiet, warring internally about whether or not she should say what she was thinking, about if this relationship would be worth the risk of getting her heart broken. Her mind was painfully blank until she heard Prim and Annie's encouragements to let love in, and take a chance. Honestly she could do far worse than Peeta. Actually, she couldn't do much _better_ than Peeta, and decided for once in her life, to go with her feelings rather than thinking everything to death.

"I like you too, Peeta. And I can honestly say that was the best kiss I've ever experienced," Katniss replied, throwing caution to the wind. Hell, why not, at this point?

"Really? Well, that's quite a complement," Peeta replied with a chuckle as they continued looking at the sky.

"Yeah, well, don't get too sure of yourself, seeing as how I don't have anything to compare it to," Katniss said, as she looked up at Peeta's face, seeing understanding settle in his mind.

"What? That was your first kiss? No way, it is not possible that a woman as wonderful as you has never been kissed before," Peeta said, quietly chuckling in disbelief, which only succeeded in, irrationally, pissing Katniss off a bit.

"Well, I never had time for dating or guys, when you're trying to take care of a younger sister, things like that are not exactly a priority," Katniss snapped. She immediately felt bad, honestly she would've been shocked if the situation was reversed, but she didn't like feeling inadequate or like he was making fun of her lack of experience.

"Katniss, I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. I get it, you didn't have time for these things earlier, I'm just relieved that you didn't punch me, or tell me it was the worst thing you'd ever experienced. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that, which I just realized sounds weird since we haven't know each other that long. I guess I feel like we have bonded so well, so quickly, and I had to try it at least once, to see if we could be anything more. And now I'm rambling, so I guess I just...trail off..." Peeta finished, looking slightly flustered, rubbing the back of his neck. Katniss couldn't find it in her to be mad at him, he was just so adorable when he was stumbling over his words, which normally flowed from him smoothly.

"Peeta, it's okay. I guess if I'm being honest, I feel the same way. But I'm new to this stuff, clearly, so can we take it slow? I don't want things to be weird between us," Katniss replied, hoping to set Peeta at ease. Which worked because she felt his shoulders relax as he tightened his grip on her, making her snuggle into his chest even more.

"Really? You're okay with this?"

"I've always told myself that I would never get married, or have kids, because I'm terrified of becoming like my mother was. I know that my genetics aren't exactly in favor of me turning out normal, and I could never put a family through what I went through as a kid. So that's another big reason I've never dated or anything. But with you, I can't seem to help myself," Katniss confessed. She was putting it all on the table now, hoping that he wouldn't run screaming when he saw how messed up she was.

"Hey, Katniss, look at me please." Peeta lifted her chin gently with his hand, searching out her eyes. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, I'm good with spending time with you, getting to know you. Let's just focus on being together right now, okay? It's a rare night off for me, so I want to enjoy the rest of it."

Peeta smiled at her then, and place a gentle quick kiss to her lips, and allowed her to lay her head back down on his chest. As she snuggled into him, Katniss closed her eyes and let herself be overwhelmed by Peeta. She felt so safe and comfortable in his arms like this, and he was such a kind soul, giving her the time she needed to figure things out and not pushing her too much. The last thought Katniss had before she fell asleep was that she could live a hundred lifetimes and never deserve a guy like him.

***Yay! Things are finally progressing! Thank you all for sticking with me to this point, I've started writing the next chapter, so it should be up soon! Please feel free to review or even just say hi, I love hearing from you! Thanks :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews, I'm glad the last chapter went over well! There is a time jump in this chapter, which is easy to spot, and it had to be in there to get the timeline up to where it needs to be. Enjoy! :)**

Ch. 9

'My pillow is moving' was Katniss's first thought as she was pulled from sleep by something shifting under her head. She was puzzled, trying to remember how she got into her bed when she remembered her evening with Peeta in the backyard. Then she felt warm air blowing rhythmically on top of her head, and realized she was laying on someone. Katniss tentatively opened her eyes, and saw that she was in her living room on her couch, her back against the back of the couch, her upper body laying on Peeta's chest with his arms holding her tight.

The memory of how they got here comes rushing into her mind as she remembers how she dosed off in the backyard during the meteor shower, Peeta forming a protective cage around her with his arms. After an uncertain amount of time, Peeta had gently shaken her awake, and carried her inside, laying her down on the couch, along with bringing Rosie into the house for the night. As he tucked a blanket around her, and made to leave, thinking she was still asleep, she caught his arm as he turned, and asked him, "Stay with me?"

Peeta gave her a brief look of surprise, then murmured a response that Katniss was too out of it to hear. He removed his shoes and slid gracefully beneath Katniss and the blanket, once again securing his arms around her, making a warm cocoon. Katniss had fallen asleep listening to the reassuring sound of his heartbeat.

"Go back to sleep, Katniss," Peeta whispered against her hair, jolting her out of the memory from earlier in the night. "It's only 3:00 in the morning, not time to get up yet."

"Okay."

"I'll make pancakes for breakfast," Peeta added, almost as an afterthought. Katniss tried not to focus on the sound of his voice, thick from sleep, and the way it made her oddly warm. She felt him kiss the top of her head, then settled himself back into the couch, and she felt herself relax and slip into a dreamless sleep once again.

* * *

"Peeta! We are almost out of cheese buns, and chocolate chip cookies, got any going back there?" Rue called from the front of the bakery.

"Got two batches of each coming up, then I have to get this cake finished and ready for the tasting in a couple hours," Peeta called back to the young girl. It was a Monday in July, still the height of wedding season, which meant Peeta was more stressed than usual. Hiring the extra staff baker/decorator had helped immensely, but between extra orders coming in, spending time with Eli, and keeping his new relationship with Katniss going, he was quickly running out of steam.

Peeta smiled as he thought back on the last three weeks since that night at Katniss's house, when things had shifted between them from friends to something more. He recalled how that morning, after he had made good on his promise to make her pancakes, they had easily fallen into discussion about how they would proceed. Katniss, having never been in a relationship of this nature before, was clearly nervous and uncomfortable, mostly because she was over thinking it. Once he told her that all he wanted was to keep spending time with her, and get to know her more, she seemed to relax, and even held his hand on top of the kitchen table, effortlessly intertwining their fingers. That's when he learned that Katniss is more comfortable with actions than her words, and took notice that when she initiated contact between them, that was her way of expressing herself.

In the following weeks, they had spent almost every evening they had available together, which mostly consisted of hanging out at one of their houses, having dinner, and letting Eli entertain them. The small boy was excited that Katniss was around more often, and claimed that she was his 'bestest buddy.' Seeing the way Katniss interacted with Eli, having the patience of a saint when he asked her to read the same book for the fifth time in one evening, made Peeta even more certain that he was falling for her, and fast.

They grew closer together, continuing their game of questions, getting to know each other better to create a solid foundation for their relationship. They hadn't kissed since that first time, Katniss felt odd about it when they were with Eli, and Peeta insisted that it was fine, they needed to take their time. That didn't mean he didn't think about her lips on his all the time, or how much he couldn't wait to do it again, soon.

"Hey, boss, you gonna sit there and grin all day thinking of your girl, or are you gonna work?" Rue teased. It had become public knowledge in the bakery that Peeta and Katniss were together when she came in the shop after her shift that next Monday morning and held Peeta's hand the whole time they were in the back room talking.

"No, Rue, I'm working. I was just thinking about the fact that we can maybe go on a proper date this week, with Eli being at camp until Saturday. I have to fill the void somehow, even if I don't mind having a week off from uncle/parent duty," Peeta laughed, although he already missed the little boy fiercely after two days.

Rue just laughed and went back to the front after gathering the fresh cheese buns and cookies to take to the front. Peeta began to work on mixing and baking the last layers of cake for the samples to be tasted this afternoon during a wedding cake consultation. He was expecting Katniss to stop by after her shift, which was longer than normal today because of mandatory overtime, and he was hoping to be done in time to spend a few minutes with her.

After getting lost in his work, Peeta looked up at the clock only to realize that three hours had gone by, and no word yet from Katniss. Peeta began to worry just a bit, but figured she was just running behind or something. But after another hour, he decided to stop cleaning up the kitchen and call her, just to make sure she was alright. He couldn't quite pin it down, but he had a feeling that something was wrong, and he was getting uneasy, something that had happened right before the latest tragedy had struck his family.

He told Rue that he was stepping out for a second, and retrieved his cell phone from his pocket as he walked through the back door to the alley, and dialed Katniss's number. After five rings, which felt like hours to Peeta, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, just calling to see if everything's okay, I hadn't heard from you and was wondering if you had left the hospital yet," Peeta explained, worried that he sounded like an overbearing fool now that he had voiced his worry aloud.

"Um, no. I mean, yes, I left the hospital and went home, and I'm on my way to the bakery now, but I'm not okay. I'm almost there, do you have a minute to talk?" Katniss's voice sounded as though she had been crying and was riddled with anxiety, making Peeta's heart clutch in fear.

"Absolutely, I'm done for the day anyway, I'll get Thresh to handle the consultation. Park on the side of the building when you get here, and we can go in through the back to my office."

"Okay, see you in two minutes."

Peeta paced outside of the building after explaining to Thresh, his assistant decorator, that an emergency had come up and he needed to handle the consultation scheduled to take place in 20 minutes. The young man was very capable, had excellent skills, and Peeta trusted him to take care of this part, because something in Katniss's voice told him that something bad was going on. Two minutes later, Katniss's car pulled into the free parking space on the side of the building, and Peeta immediately went to the vehicle to walk her to his office. As she got out of the car, he saw that she was still in her scrubs from work and has most definitely been crying, her eyes red and puffy, with dark circles under her eyes. He knew that she wouldn't want to talk until they were in his office, so he gently took her hand in his and led the way to his office, all the while rubbing reassuring circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

Once they were settled in his office with the door closed, she perched on the edge of his desk, and Peeta stood beside her, his hand absently rubbing her back. She began to speak in a shaky voice.

"You know how my Uncle Haymitch still lives in Indiana at my parents' farm, right?" she asked. Peeta nodded in response, remembering her description of her uncle who was drunk more often than not. "Um, a friend of mine from home went to check on him this morning, I asked her to since he wasn't answering my calls last night. That's normally when we talk, and I knew something was wrong for him to miss it. Anyway, she found him unresponsive on the floor, and called the ambulance, and they decided he had a stroke at some point, and he's still unresponsive as of an hour ago; alive but not talking or responding to verbal commands. They're hoping that as the treatment takes effect and starts healing his brain he'll come around."

Katniss paused to take a breath, and continued explaining. "I'm his next of kin, well basically his only family left, and so it comes to me to make some decisions. I have to go there, but I'm so scared, I don't think I can face this alone. Annie can't go with me, she has a big grant meeting coming up in two days and you have the bakery...I just don't know what to do and I hate it. I hate feeling weak."

Peeta stood there processing everything she had just said, and thought about his options as he watched Katniss hold her head in her hands, trying to calm herself down. He could leave Rue and Thresh in charge of the bakery for a few days, and call the camp where Eli was to change the emergency contact to Finnick, and arrange for Annie to take care of Rosie while Katniss was away. Yeah, that could work. All he knew was that seeing Katniss this distraught made him want to protect her all the more, and make sure she knew that he was there for her.

"I'll go with you," Peeta stated firmly, bracing himself for her argument, which came right on cue.

"You can't. You have the bakery to run, and Eli is at camp..."

"Those things are fixable. One, Rue and Thresh can run the bakery for a few days, and two, I'll call the camp and inform them of the situation and make Finnick the emergency contact. So don't argue with me, I'm not letting you do this alone," Peeta insisted.

"You'd do that for me? You would go with me, stay with me even though I'm kind of a wreck right now?" Katniss asked in disbelief, as though she thought she wasn't worth the trouble; a habit Peeta was working to break her of.

"Always."

* * *

Four long hours later, Katniss was asleep in the passenger seat of her car as Peeta drove down the interstate leading out of Kentucky and into Indiana. It had taken some time to get things arranged, but he was on his way to Indiana with Katniss so that she wouldn't have to face her demons alone.

After holding Katniss in his arms for a few minutes to ease her anxiety after she explained what was going on, Peeta immediately sprang into action, speaking with Thresh and Rue about the situation. The two had readily agreed to run things for a few days, and promised Peeta that they would call him should something come up that they could not handle. Peeta also explained the situation to Finnick, who consented to being responsible for Eli if anything happened while the youngster was at camp for the next five days.

"Take care of her, man. She's had a rough go of it, and sometimes she needs to let someone take care of her, not that she would ever admit it. Be safe, let me know when you make it to Indiana," Finnick had told Peeta over the phone. He had left the bakery with Katniss following him in her car after getting the bakery squared away, going to his house so that he could pack the necessities for the trip that Katniss expected would last three to four days. As he ran around his house grabbing the things he needed and talking with Finnick, Katniss sat on a stool in his kitchen with a blank face and didn't make a sound. It was like she had shut down, as though her mind couldn't take any more anxiety right now and was protecting itself by not allowing anything in. Peeta glanced at her worriedly every now and then, hoping that she would be better once they were on the road.

"Katniss, I'm ready to go. I can drive your car to your house, if you want, so you can pack up and get Rosie settled in for the ride," Peeta suggested to Katniss, standing in front of her, searching her vacant expression for a response. She had informed him that Rosie would be making the trip with them; she was good in the car and Katniss really didn't want to leave her alone for a few days.

At the sound of his voice, Katniss seemed to come back to herself, and was looking at him with tired eyes, as Peeta realized she hadn't slept since before her last shift at the hospital. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent, which prompted Peeta to offer to do most of the driving, at least the first stretch.

"Yeah, that's good. Let's go," she said abruptly, standing up from the stool and heading for the door. Peeta slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and followed her out the door as she handed him her keys to the car. After securing the lock on his front door, Peeta stored his bag of clothes and toiletries in the backseat of Katniss's car, and took his place in the driver's seat. Katniss was buckled in the passenger seat, looking at her phone as though waiting for more bad news to come from the small rectangle. As Peeta began the short drive to Katniss's house, his hand found it's way to hers, tangling their fingers together, in what he hoped would be a comforting gesture. Katniss held on to his hand for dear life throughout the short drive, only breaking contact when she got out to run inside and grab her already packed bag and bring Rosie to the car.

Now, they had been on the road for about three and a half hours, and Katniss had been sleeping most of the time, her exhaustion finally getting the best of her. Except for the occasional snore from her, or sigh from Rosie who was growing restless in the backseat, the drive had been mostly quiet. As they entered Indiana, Peeta realized that his stomach was growling, and Katniss was probably hungry too, he wasn't sure she had eaten after her extended shift. He exited at a small rest stop that was surrounded by fast food restaurants as well as some nicer diners, and parked in a large parking lot which joined most of the businesses in a circle.

"Katniss, wake up, sweetie. We stopped for a bit, need to eat and let Rosie out, I think," Peeta said gently as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

She began to stir, opening her eyes and uncurling herself from the ball she had formed in the seat, and greeted him with a smile. Peeta was so relieved to see some life back in her eyes, and that the rest seemed to have helped. Her grin widened as she sat up and took his hand, asking, "Did you just call me 'sweetie'?"

Peeta smiled, saying, "Yes I did. Because you're so sweet, especially when you sleep, you look so peaceful." He knew how affectionate words like this both annoyed and overjoyed her, so he was laying it on thick to get a rise out of her.

With a roll of her eyes, Katniss said, "You are so cheesy."

"But you love it."

"True. Seriously, though, Peeta, thank you so much for coming with me. Going home, dealing with the possibility of seeing Haymitch die...it was too much to consider facing alone," Katniss said, her gray eyes conveying the depth of her gratefulness.

"Of course, I told you I'm here for you, always. Now let's get food, I'm starving!"

* * *

"Only about an hour to go," Katniss said from her place in the driver's seat of her car. After they had walked Rosie for a bit, and gotten a sandwiches from a small diner to eat on the road, Katniss insisted she drive the rest of the way, since she had gotten a long nap and knew the fastest way to the hospital where Haymitch was. Since she had grown up in this area, she knew every back road and farm along the familiar landscape. Katniss felt a sense of nostalgia at the familiar sight of fields of corn, soybeans, and hay, the farms of home welcoming her back as if she had never left.

"Great! I can't believe how many fields y'all have here, and it's so flat!" Peeta exclaimed as he looked out the window of the car, amazed at the seemingly miles of flat green fields, with only an occasional rise of land here and there. Katniss laughed a little at his amusement, she had felt the same way when she saw the hills and mountains of Tennessee for the first time; having grown up on the prairie, the foothills of the mountains seemed huge, let alone the actual Smokies themselves.

Peeta looked over at Katniss, smiling at her, and she felt thankful again that she had him in her life. Ever since she got the call about Haymitch, all she could think about was how she didn't know if she was strong enough to deal with her last family member possibly leaving her, and she knew she couldn't do it alone. And, Peeta being the amazing man he is, volunteered right away to accompany her once he saw how much of a wreck she was, instead of running away as most guys would.

At last, the lights of the hospital came into view, making the fear and anxiety grip her heart once again. She had almost forgotten her real reason for coming back, but now she needed to push it all down, and be strong for Haymitch. She hoped the attending doctor, or at least a resident, would be around so that she could find out what was going on with her uncle. And she needed to have the long past due conversation with the old man about taking it easy on the alcohol from now on. Hopefully this little episode would set him straight, but if it didn't she would.

"Katniss, what are you thinking about?" Peeta asked her suddenly, his tone suggesting he found something amusing.

"Why?"

"Well, your face has a really intense look right now, and I'm trying to figure out who or what you are about to open a can of whoop ass on."

Katniss couldn't help but laugh as she pulled into the parking lot of the hospital at Peeta's statement. She had never been good about controlling her facial expressions, and the one she was probably wearing right now was what her friends in college had called her 'nurse face.'

"Oh, I'm just thinking that I'm going to tell Haymitch that it's time to shape up and cut out the constantly drunk routine. He'll be stubborn about it, but I've got news for him: so am I."

Peeta chuckled, and said "I doubt he'll be able to resist that face, and I know how stubborn you are; he doesn't stand a chance."

Katniss laughed lightly as they exited the car, leaving the windows opened slightly for Rosie. They would go into the hospital first, find out what they could, then go back to the farm for the night and let Rosie run around then, as she had before. As she and Peeta reached the main doors of the hospital, she felt her pace slow, and her hands began to shake as the memories of her parents and little sister dying in this place came back to her, placing a crushing weight on her shoulders. It was as if Peeta could sense how overwhelmed she was without a word, and gently took her hand in his and continued walking into the hospital, taking some of the burden from her with just a touch.

They approached the welcome desk, where a woman sat typing away at something on her computer, and greeted them with a smile as they stood before her.

"May I help you?" she asked very politely.

"I'm here to see Haymitch Abernathy, he's my uncle. He came in early this morning, can you tell me what room he's in, please?" Katniss asked, doing her best to not let her voice crack or waiver. Peeta continued to rub soothing circles on the back of her hand, reminding her that she was not alone in this.

"Yes, he's in room 336, that's the ICU. Take the elevator up to the third floor, turn right and go to the front desk, they can direct you from there," the woman explained to them, pointing in the direction of the elevators.

Katniss thanked her, and sped toward the elevator, anxious to get some news and find out what was being done for her uncle. It was well after 8:30 in the evening, so Katniss figured there probably wouldn't be a doctor around, but she could talk to the nurse. When they reached the elevator, Peeta pressed the up button, and the elevator immediately opened, allowing them to step inside and press the button for the third floor. Peeta still held her hand in his strong, warm hand, keeping her grounded as she fought to keep it together; she knew that ICU meant his condition was serious. Even though she was a nurse, it was daunting to see a family member hooked up to all the tubes and wires, with multiple bags of fluids and medicine littering IV poles surrounding the narrow hospital bed.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a small waiting room of sorts, and to the right a visitor desk sat where another hospital employee was sitting. Once again, Katniss ran through the same statement as she had at the main entrance, and was directed down the hallway through the automatic doors that the woman opened for them with a button on her desk. Most critical care and intensive care units were locked in order to monitor the number of visitors entering the unit, and keep too many people from being in the halls at once; critical care patients generally needed a quiet, calm environment.

The pair walked through the doors and down the hall, searching for room 336, and eventually came to it, when Katniss stopped outside the clear glass door the led inside. She had to do this, but she couldn't. It was too much, too familiar; and no one should be familiar with family members being in critical condition.

"Katniss, you can do this, I promise. Do you want some time alone with him first?" Peeta asked, making Katniss clutch tighter to his hand.

"Absolutely not, you're coming with me. Besides, if he is awake, he's going to give me hell for coming up here for him, and I'm going to need reinforcements in there. There will be some verbal thrashing, just a heads up; so don't get caught in the crossfire, this is typical for me and Haymitch. We're both fiery, stubborn mules."

Peeta flashed that crooked grin and said, "Okay, lead the way, Girl on Fire."

Katniss felt renewed strength at Peeta's encouragement, and walked into the room, her eyes immediately landing on Haymitch laying in the hospital bed, sleeping. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in his heart monitor, looking at his heart rhythm and latest vital signs, and his IV lines running into his right arm and jugular vein in his neck, which is called an IJ line. Those had always made Katniss a little squeamish, but the presence of the IV sites meant that he was being treated, and that all hope wasn't lost. Katniss edged closer to the bed, watching Haymitch closely for signs of facial paralysis; other than a slight drooping of the right side of his mouth and right eye, he looked relatively unharmed.

Peeta, who had remained next to the door when Katniss slipped her hand from his to go about assessing the room, was quiet while watching Katniss do her nurse thing, checking everything that was going into or coming out of her uncle. Her concentrated face and gentle touches to the man's IV sites and hand only did more to draw Peeta in; the way she instinctually took care of people and knew what they needed to hear was amazing to him. He could see that Katniss would make a great mother someday, and found himself hoping that he would be the one to help her see it.

Suddenly, Peeta saw Haymitch's head twitch a bit, and his eyes popped open, looking around until his gaze fell on Katniss.

"What in the hell are you doing here, Sweetheart?" Haymitch asked in a slightly slurred voice, eyes narrowed, using the endearment without any of the usual sentiment it holds.

"Trying to keep your dumb ass from dying, old man. You realize you had a stroke, right? That you have a bleed in your brain?" Katniss fired back, her intense expression settling back on her face.

"Really? I thought I was on vacation at a spa that has a hospital theme! Yeah, I know what's going on with me, but that still doesn't answer why you and Blondie back there are standing in my hospital room. And also, who the hell are you?" Haymitch questioned Peeta, his eyes flitting back and forth between him and Katniss, who was beginning to become flushed in frustration.

"I'm Peeta Mellark, a friend of Katniss from Tennessee," Peeta explained, not sure how to explain his exact relationship with Katniss.

"A friend, huh? Must be an awfully good friend to come all the way up here for nothing." Haymitch snickered, causing Katniss to blush a deeper red.

"Cut the crap Haymitch, he came with me because I didn't want to deal with this alone. You know what kind of memories I have from being here in the past, he was being a good friend and offered to come with me. Anyway, we're here now, so just shut up and deal with it."

Haymitch simply scoffed and rolled his eyes, but chose to remain quiet rather than argue with Katniss, knowing neither one of them would be first to back down.

"I'm going to go find your nurse or doctor so I can find out what's going on with you," Katniss said, turning away from Haymitch to face Peeta, still looking amused by their exchange. She wasn't sure if she should have him stay with Haymitch, something she didn't necessarily want to subject him to yet, or go with her to hear the report which also seemed weird. It only just now dawned on Katniss the awkward situation she had put him in, and was about to apologize, when Peeta seemed to sense her struggle and offered to stay in the room with Haymitch.

"I wouldn't have any idea what they're telling you anyway, might as well just stay here," Peeta said easily, making it easier for Katniss to head out of the room in search of a staff member that could give her the needed information on her uncle's condition. With her gone, Peeta found himself alone with Haymitch, and while he normally was able to adapt to any social situation, the look the old man was fixing on him made his insides squirm. It was as though he could see right through Peeta's claim that he was Katniss's 'friend' and saw every inappropriate thought about her that had gone through Peeta's mind, which were very few. As Peeta began to shift from one foot to the other and look around the room, he heard the gravelly voice speak to him.

"Boy, come over here and sit down. I think we need to have a chat."

**Time for a talk with Haymitch! Of course Haymitch pulled through, I love the character too much for anything like that to happen :) And to answer the question from Lya200: I don't live in Knoxville (yet), I plan to move in a few months. Feel free to review and thanks for reading! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took a little while to get this up, and if I haven't responded to your review yet, I will get to it soon! Real life has been crazy lately, and I appreciate your patience and encouragement. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG.**

Ch. 10

"Friends, huh? Does Sweetheart out there know that you love her?" Haymitch questioned Peeta, who was sitting in the chair next to the hospital bed. Haymitch was looking at him very seriously, but his eyes held laughter, knowing full well that he had caught Peeta off guard with his uncanny ability to read people easily.

Peeta felt his eyes widen, and found himself stammering a response to the older man.

"I, um, well she...How do you know I love her? I just figured it out myself." Peeta said, deciding to be honest.

"Boy, it's written all over your face. Now, with that out in the open, I need to know a few things about you," Haymitch stated with a sly glint in his eye as he began to interrogate Peeta about his career, marital status, and goals in life. Peeta answered all of his questions as best he could, explaining quickly the bakery business his family had started (leaving out the fact that he was sole owner now), that he had never been married, and that he wanted to continue the bakery business and settle down with a family one day.

"What about your family? What do your folks do? Any siblings?" Haymitch continued questioning Peeta, seemingly satisfied with his answers so far. Peeta understood what Katniss's uncle was doing: acting as a protective father figure, and taking over the task of boyfriend questioning, since her own father was gone. It didn't make answering this question any easier, though.

"My parents passed away when I was in college, and I had one brother, he and his wife both died about 4 months ago, killed by a drunk driver. Now I'm the guardian of my nephew, my brother's 5 year-old son, and I'm raising him," Peeta explained in a steady voice. Haymitch raised his eyebrows, as best he could with the right side of his face not cooperating, and his expression morphed into one of respect and approval. As he opened his mouth to say something, Katniss came back into the room, walking quickly, ending the exploration of Peeta's history.

"Ok, I talked with your nurse and she gave me the scoop. You have a slight bleed in your brain, but it's not bad enough to need surgery, and the right-sided paralysis should improve with therapy. They want to keep you for a couple days and make sure your blood pressure and everything are good, then discharge you. And don't even think about arguing with me, you _will_ go to therapy, and you _will_ ease up on the alcohol. Got it? I can't lose you, too, old man," Katniss said sternly to her uncle, who was looking more closely at her proximity to Peeta than anything. She had walked straight over to where he stood next to Haymitch's bed, and was now holding his hand, leaning into his side slightly. Haymitch had never seen her so physically affectionate before with anyone, and that's when he knew that something was up, but chose to say nothing about it, for now.

"Yeah, Sweetheart I got it. It'll be fine, I'll do the therapy and whatever, not like I have much to do otherwise," Haymitch said as he waved his hand dismissively. As a young man, Haymitch won some kind of insane survivalist contest and had been smart with the investment of his huge sum of prize money, leading to quite a nest egg and an early retirement.

"Okay. Well, Peeta and I are going to go to the farm for the night, we'll be back tomorrow, hopefully to catch the doctor doing rounds. Behave yourself for your nurse, that Clove woman doesn't look like one I'd cross," Katniss warned as she thought of the conversation she had with the nurse, who was direct and no-nonsense. Haymitch ought to have his work cut out for him to try and get away with anything with that lady as his nurse.

"Get outta here, Sweetheart. Oh, and it was good to meet you, boy. You two behave yourselves tonight."

Both Katniss and Peeta's faces turned red at the old man's implications as they walked out of the room and exited the ICU. Neither could deny they felt a strong physical attraction to the other, but they also knew that they were no where near ready for that step, even if the timing wasn't terrible, as it was now. Katniss led the way to her parked car where Rosie was waiting patiently, but was anxious to stretch her legs. Katniss drove for about 20 minutes, Peeta silent beside her, but the silence was comfortable, their hands tangled together on the center console, a form of silent communication.

As soon as Rosie caught sight of the old farm where she had spent many days running the pastures and woods, she began to whine and paw at the seats. The second Katniss pulled into the drive way in front of a large ranch-style house sitting on a small rise, with a vast yard surrounding it, and dense woods behind it, the dog was positively shaking with anticipation to run. When Katniss and Peeta got out, she opened the back door and Rosie was out like a shot, taking off to roam the yard and the edge of the woods. Katniss just laughed, some things never changed.

"Wow, this place is great. This is where you grew up?" Peeta asked, taking in the simple beauty of the countryside.

"Yeah, it's a nice place. I used to hunt in those woods, in fact the deer we ate at my house with Finnick and Annie came from about a mile into these woods; it was the last one I ever shot here."

Peeta seemed to sense that it was difficult for Katniss to be here, reliving the pain of loss he wished he could take from her. The two walked to the front porch, duffel bags in hand, and Katniss simply opened the door and walked in, since it hadn't been locked, as if the house standing unlocked was the most natural thing ever.

'This really must be small town America if they don't even lock their doors,' Peeta thought to himself.

Katniss chuckled, saying "We rarely lock the door around here, and yes, it is small town to the country, city boy."

Peeta only then realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud, and looked to her face to search for any sign of her being offended, but a smile graced her features, and once again he was trapped by those silver eyes. He smiled with her, glad to know that he hadn't said anything stupid, and continued to follow her through the house on a quick tour. It was an open lay out, kitchen, dining room and living room taking up the majority of the first floor, with two bedrooms and a bathroom in the back of the house. The upstairs contained another bedroom, a bathroom, and an office space. Katniss pointed out the room he would sleep in, assuring him that a friend of hers knew they were coming, had put clean sheets on the beds, and cleaned up the house from the normal squalor Haymitch lived in.

"Are you hungry?" Katniss asked Peeta as they finally sat down on the couch together, the events of the day catching up to them. She was tucked into his side, her head resting on his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her. "I can't guarantee the presence of any real food in the kitchen, though. Haymitch has a mostly liquid diet, the dumb ass."

Peeta smiled, and said, "I'm mostly tired, not really hungry. Bedtime?"

"Sounds good. I'm going bring Rosie inside, then go to bed. Let me know if you need anything. Goodnight, Peeta," Katniss said, both of them standing before the hallway leading to the two bedrooms where they would be staying. She hugged him tightly, and once again thanked him for coming with her. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I'm glad I could be here for you; Haymitch is...interesting...to say the least. And it's nice to see where you grew up," Peeta replied, returning her hug with equal force. As they let each other go, Peeta kissed her cheek softly and said, "Sweet dreams, Katniss," as he headed to his appointed bedroom.

Katniss opened the door and whistled for Rosie, who came hurtling toward her from the darkness, and into the house, sniffing around and reacquainting herself with the place. Katniss found two old bowls in the cabinet and put out some water, and dog food that Haymitch kept around just in case the neighbor's dog made his way over here and needed to eat. Katniss picked up her cell phone and shuffled to her old bedroom, shutting off the lights as she went. Her phone began ringing at that instant, and looking at the caller ID, she saw it was Annie.

"Hey, Annie."

"Katniss, how's Haymitch? Are you doing alright? Peeta went with you, right? Are you okay being back in the house?" Annie began firing question after question at Katniss immediately, barely pausing to breathe.

"Haymitch is okay, it's not as bad as they initially thought. I'm doing okay, Peeta is here with me, which helps. We're at the house now, going to turn in for the night so that we can get to the hospital at a decent time; I want to speak with the doctor on Haymitch's case."

"Oh good, Katniss I've been so worried. I know what being back there means to you, and how much you love Haymitch, no matter how much you both deny it. And I'm glad Peeta is with you, I definitely didn't want you going alone; he's such a great guy."

Katniss chuckled at Annie's persistence, even after she had told the woman that she and Peeta were doing some form of dating, Annie had felt the need to reinforce how wonderful Peeta was, as if Katniss didn't already know.

"Yes, Annie, he is wonderful. I don't think I could have gotten through this without him, he makes me feel safe and grounded, like as long as we face things together, we'll be fine," Katniss replied with an unconscious smile overtaking her face, being unusually open and honest with her friend. She had decided the moment he volunteered to come with her that there was no use denying it anymore: she was falling in love with Peeta Mellark.

* * *

"Noooo! Prim! Mom! Dad!"

Peeta jolted awake from the semi-asleep state he was in, hearing Katniss crying and screaming from the next room over. Before a thought could process he was out of the bed, and across the hall in the doorway to her room. He could see her thrashing around on the bed, her face screwed up as though she was in pain, tears streaming down her face as she continued to cry. Peeta walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, gathering her up in his arms and rocking her, as he had done with Eli on countless occasions. He whispered in her ear, reassuring her that it was a dream, and that she needed to wake up, all the while holding her tight to his chest where she fit so perfectly, and gently stroking her long hair. Slowly she began to stop crying, her movements stilling, and she pulled back to look at Peeta, her expression confused as to why he was holding her.

"You were having a nightmare, I didn't know what else to do, I just had to wake you up. Scared me to death..." Peeta trailed off, not sure if he had overstepped any of the ill-defined boundaries of their relationship.

"Thank you, for waking me up. I expected to have nightmares while I'm here, but had no idea they would be that bad," Katniss said, burrowing her head into Peeta's chest, where he still held her in his strong arms. "I'm sorry for waking you up, you can go back to bed now."

"No problem." Peeta let his arms loosen around her, allowing her to sit up on her own, and kissed her cheek as he made to leave.

"Wait! Um, Peeta, do you think- I mean, maybe- you could stay with me?" Katniss asked, barely managing to get the words out. "It's just, when you're around, my nightmares don't seem so bad."

Peeta looked at Katniss for a solid minute, trying to keep his face from betraying his feelings of shock, then elation, at what Katniss had proposed. He could see she was struggling to not appear weak, but she needed him. And he would do whatever he could to make her happy and ease her discomfort.

"Of course I'll stay. I know that night we fell asleep on your couch was the best sleep I've gotten in a long time."

"Same here," Katniss admitted quietly, as Peeta slid under the covers next to her.

Both seemed unsure of how to proceed next, laying side by side on their backs, a slight feeling of awkwardness mixed with tension in the air. Then Katniss decided to throw caution to the wind and arranged herself so that her head was on Peeta's chest, snuggled into his side, her hand over his heart; his arms came to wrap around her, and their legs tangled together so that neither could tell where one ended and the other began. Peeta could hardly believe the day's events, so much had happened in just the last 16 hours, and now here he was in Indiana with Katniss Everdeen, sleeping in the same bed. He hoped that tomorrow would yield some news about Haymitch's condition and what his recovery process would look like. Peeta decided that he liked Katniss's uncle, he seemed sarcastic and blunt, but had a way of reading people that made Peeta a little nervous; mostly because he had nailed down Peeta's feelings for Katniss within five minutes of meeting him.

Peeta felt his eyes getting heavy, having calmed down from the adrenaline that had made him alert to Katniss's cries, and focused on the moment he was enjoying with her just then, her face burrowed in his chest, her hand resting over his heart. It felt right to have her this close, making Peeta realize that once things settled down again, they would even try to go on an actual date, like normal people. Then again, their relationship wasn't exactly built on normal circumstances, what they were doing now seemed to be working, but Peeta knew he wouldn't be able to hold his feelings in for much longer. His last thought as he fell asleep was that Katniss's hand on his heart felt so right, because whether or not she knew, it already belonged to her.

* * *

"Mr. Abernathy will need to be under observation again tonight, and as long as all the tests come back in fine, he's good to go. We have his outpatient therapy sessions scheduled, and he should be able to start that by the end of the week," the attending physician, who went by the name of Cinna, explained to Katniss and Peeta as they stood in Haymitch's hospital room the next day. The doctor was very kind, and intelligent, making Katniss very pleased that he was handling her uncle's case. There was something about Cinna's eyes, which were a light brown, almost gold, that made her trust him, that he was truly doing everything he could to make Haymitch better.

Katniss found herself leaning toward Peeta as they continued to listen to the physician's report on Haymitch. The two had slept peacefully until the alarm Katniss had set for 8:00 went off, instantly piercing through their bubble of comfort that had been created. Katniss had expected it to be awkward between them this morning, but when they said good morning at the same time, turning to look at each other causing them to bumps their heads together, they dissolved into laughter, easing any tension that might have been present. Peeta then kissed her forehead gently, and said, "I'll go see what I can scrounge up for breakfast."

He quickly learned that there was little food to be made into anything suitable to eat, so he settled for making toast with honey on it with the bread he found on the counter. It was a miracle that the toaster had even worked, Peeta thought the old thing had to be at least thirty years old, and smelled of perpetually burning bread. He and Katniss had eaten breakfast quickly, got ready for the day, and were off to the hospital after letting Rosie out to roam the barnyard.

"Thanks, doc, we got it; I'm gonna live. Now, can I get back to that nap?" Haymitch grumbled, his eyes drooping closed with fatigue in need of his mid-morning nap.

"Yes sir, you can sleep now. Miss Everdeen, can I see you outside for a moment? Your friend, too?" the doctor asked quietly as Haymitch almost instantly fell asleep.

Katniss and Peeta both nodded, and followed the physician out to the hallway, standing just outside of Haymitch's door. Katniss had been relieved to hear that the condition was far less critical than they initially thought, his liver and other vital organs had come through fairly unharmed, though the years of drinking certainly didn't help anything. As the two stood facing the doctor, Katniss reached blindly for Peeta's hand, needing the strength she received from his touch, knowing that he was there for her. He truly was amazing, taking all of this in stride, not once showing any resentment or hesitance when she needed to hold his hand, or for him to get coffee from the cafeteria because she couldn't leave her uncle's side while waiting for the attending to come by on rounds.

"As you heard in there, your uncle will need some physical and occupational therapy in order to restore normal function that the stroke affected. But I'm more concerned about his alcoholism, his liver damage is already bad enough, if he goes back to his drinking routine, he will suffer more long-term consequences because of the stroke weakening his system. I need to know if there is anyone that can be around to make sure he attends his therapy appointments, and could go about getting him to sober up," the doctor explained seriously, looking pointedly at Katniss for an answer.

"Well, I live in Tennessee, but I have a friend that might be willing to help. If not...I'll figure something out," Katniss stated hesitantly, thinking of the only family in the area that she had hoped to avoid, and how she would now have to ask them to look after Haymitch.

"Very good. Keep me posted of the options, and we'll take it one step at a time. How long do you plan to stay here?"

Katniss glanced at Peeta, thinking of the responsibilities they both had at home, and told the doctor they would stay until Thursday morning, then they had to go back. Johanna had been willing to get some supplemental staff to cover her shifts this week, but Katniss hated having to miss work, and didn't like to owe anyone. And Peeta had left his business to come with her, and Eli got done with camp on Saturday, so staying any longer than that was just not an option.

Cinna, as he insisted they call him, then shook their hands, bid them a good day, and made his way on to the next patient. Katniss decided to pen a quick note to Haymitch, then she and Peeta slipped quietly from the room to go find real food. Katniss was quiet as they walked, still holding tightly to Peeta's hand, and she mulled over the best way to go about approaching the Hawthornes to assist with looking out for Haymitch. The problem would not be Hazel, she had always been like a mother to Katniss after her own had gone; the problem would lie with the one person she did not want to see: Gale.

"Hey, what's wrong? We just got some pretty great news in there about your uncle, so what is this face about?" Peeta asked her, gesturing to her frowning face with a smile on his own. He was always smiling, even in the face of serious situations, and Katniss realized that was why she loved his smile: he offered hope. His face was so bright, lovely blue eyes framed by golden curls, he was like a dandelion in the spring, reminding her that there was always hope.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about who I have to go talk to now, the friend I mentioned that could maybe help look after Haymitch. It's not that Hazel will be a problem, she checks on him every now and then, and got the house ready for us to be here, I just don't want to have to face Gale," Katniss said quietly as they got into her car.

"Gale?" Peeta asked curiously, moving his hand closer to hers on the center console in an offer for her to take it, always leaving her the option. This was yet another reason she loved him, he never pushed her past what she was comfortable with, letting her initiate things at this stage.

"Yeah, you know how I mentioned that one guy friend and things not ending well? Well, that's Gale. We were best friends growing up, we hunted together, confided in one another, he was almost as close to me as Prim was. But, I must have been completely oblivious to things on his end, because right after Prim died, he proposed to me," Katniss explained, feeling Peeta tense at the mention of Gale's proposal. She rubbed his hand with her thumb, reminding him she was with him now. "Anyway, I was completely blindsided by it, he never had given me any indication that he felt that way. I certainly had never thought of him that way, hell, I've never thought of anyone that way until you."

Peeta leaned over to kiss her cheek at this, making Katniss miss the traffic light turning from red to green, earning them a honk from the car behind them. He had not expected to hear this story about a guy wanting Katniss, but he shouldn't have been surprised; she was amazing and he couldn't believe how blessed he was to have her. When she admitted that he was the first man she had felt something for, his heart skipped a beat with joy and he found himself praying that he would be the last man she had feelings for, too.

"Sorry to interrupt, I just had to do that," Peeta whispered in her ear as she began to move the car forward, turning in to the parking lot of a local diner. She tried to cover the shiver that ran down her back and made her warm all over from his breath on her neck.

"No worries, the story is almost done. Basically, I thought about it for a few days, but I think deep down I knew we weren't right for each other. I got accepted to nursing school the day I was to give him my answer, and I took it as a sign that I was meant to do something besides settle down and be a farmer's wife for the rest of my life. He got angry, naturally, and threw around some really hurtful words, and our friendship basically ended that day. I told him goodbye before I moved to Knoxville, and he was still hung up on the thought of us, telling me I'd come back to Indiana and be with him one day. So, things ended badly, and I just really wanted to avoid dragging all this up again," Katniss finished her explanation as they sat in the car outside the restaurant.

"Well, no matter what, I'm here for you. Maybe you won't even see him while we're here, and Hazel can help with Haymitch. But let's face it, getting Haymitch to cooperate with anyone would be a miracle, based on the two days I've known him," Peeta said as they exited the car to go into the diner and get some real food in their bodies.

Katniss smiled at Peeta as he held the door open for her like a gentleman, allowing her to enter the building first. Normally, stuff like guys opening doors for her would make her mad, but with Peeta it seemed normal to allow him to treat her like a lady, something she had never considered herself before. She walked through the open door, grabbing his free hand to pull him along behind her; it baffled Katniss how easily the physical affection was coming to her now, it seemed so natural to be holding his hand these days. As they made their way into the mostly unoccupied diner and found a booth to sit in, Katniss explained that this place had the best food around, and that she had come here multiple times with her father after hunting to get hot chocolate and warm up from being in the cold deer blind all morning. Peeta noticed that it was getting easier for Katniss to open up to him about her past, and he was glad she trusted him, as Annie had warned him that Katniss didn't trust easily.

Peeta looked over the menu, deciding it was nice to see someone else's menu besides his own bakery menu every now and then, when Katniss stiffened in her spot across the table, eyeing something over Peeta's shoulder. Before he could turn around, Peeta saw a tall man, with dark hair, olive skin and gray eyes very similar to Katniss's, approach their table, stopping to stare down at Peeta with narrowed eyes, before shifting his attention to Katniss.

"Hey, Catnip. Told you you'd be back."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hello, lovelies! Thanks for all the favs/follows, y'all are blowing me away! Also, the reviews are so encouraging! It's kind of short, but I'm excited about this chapter, so without further ado...****Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG.**

Ch. 11

Katniss wanted nothing more than to knock that smirk off of Gale's face, but they were in public, and she really didn't want to make a scene. Peeta slid his hand across the table to touch her own balled up fist gently, reminding her to stay calm and not freak out; he already knew her tendency to let her temper get the best of her, thanks to a particularly bad driver on the way up to Indiana. Road rage was always a bad habit that Katniss had not been able to kick.

Gale saw the action, narrowed his eyes at Katniss after glancing back at Peeta and asked, "So, what took you so long to wise up and come back?"

"Gale, don't do this. I'm here for Haymitch, he had a stroke and I'm here to make sure he's okay, then I'm going back home," Katniss retorted, sending a withering glare right back at him.

"Home?" Gale asked, a confused look on his face. "You mean you're staying?"

"No, I mean home, as in Tennessee. That's my home, now, not here. This is Peeta, by the way," Katniss replied, just then noticing that she had opened her hand to Peeta's and their fingers were now tangled together atop the table. "My boyfriend."

At this, both Peeta and Gale stared at Katniss, Gale's face red with anger, and Peeta's eyes wide in disbelief, then his whole face breaking into a brilliant smile. She had called him her boyfriend. They hadn't actually had that talk yet, defining their relationship, but as usual, Katniss allowed her impulsivity to take over, deciding that there was no point beating around the bush. Gale needed to know the way things were with Katniss now, and that he would only ever be her friend.

"I see. So, you wouldn't be with me, your best friend that you've known forever, but you'll go off and date any old redneck you find down there?" Gale asked tightly, glaring at Peeta, clearly baiting him for a fight.

"Name-calling, Gale? What are you, five years old? Peeta is not a redneck, he is the best man I have ever known, and if you had any common sense in your brain, you would know that you and I would never have made it. We're too much alike, both of us stubborn and full of fire, and Peeta is what I need to balance me out. He gives me hope, doesn't push me, and isn't selfish, unlike you. Keep in mind that it is you who threw away our friendship, not me. I wanted to be friends, but you had to have all or nothing, so you were left with nothing. Now we're about to have lunch and go back to the hospital, so if you'd leave, I would very much appreciate it."

She grabbed the menu in front of her with both hands, focusing her attention on it, indicating that the conversation was over. Katniss had sufficiently shocked the two men at the table as well as herself. She didn't think she had ever spoken that much at once, and clearly Peeta and Gale were just as surprised, based on their silence. Gale recovered first, giving a final huff, then turning on his heel to go to the bar and order his lunch to go. Katniss felt her face turn red as she realized Peeta was staring at her, speechless, which didn't happen often. Suddenly, she realized how much she had just revealed her feelings about Peeta, not directly to him, but in an argument. And she had called him her boyfriend, even though they had not really discussed any labels for their relationship. Oh, shit.

Panic began to set in as she continued looking at the menu directly in front of her, when she saw a hand pulling down on the top of the menu to reveal Peeta's laughing face across the table from her. His blue eyes were positively twinkling, and Katniss felt her fear subside; of course he wouldn't be mad at her.

"Whoa, girl. Remind me never to piss you off, that was some serious verbal thrashing right there," Peeta exclaimed through his steady stream of chuckles.

"Sorry, I don't know where that came from, he just made me so mad," Katniss said, a smile now overtaking her face.

"Well, thank you for defending me. Good to know how much you care," Peeta said lightly, but the air between them now turned heavy, both knowing that they needed to talk about her little outburst, but now was not the time or place for it.

"You're welcome. Okay, let's get some food and get out of here, we have some arrangements to make."

* * *

"Haymitch, Hazel has agreed to check in on you, as well as Chaff, although I'm not sure your drinking buddy is the best choice, but the list of people you haven't managed to alienate or piss off is quite short. So that's the best we've got. I'll make sure you get settled tomorrow back at the farm, then one of them will be by each day to make sure you go to your appointments, take your medications, and aren't blackout drunk every day," Katniss informed Haymitch as she and Peeta stood in his hospital room. Haymitch was looking much better today, the paralysis on his right side beginning to improve already, although his entire face was frowning at that moment, so his progress wasn't obvious.

"Hell no, Sweetheart! I don't think so, you are not going to have any people checking in on me like some damn old cripple!" Haymitch argued, matching his niece's fierce posture in his facial expression.

"What, you're going to look after yourself? Well, that's a first! Haymitch, you have done so much for me, and for Prim, you took care of us when Mom and Dad died, so why won't you let me help take care of you? Please," Katniss pleaded, hoping to appeal to the minuscule soft side Haymitch sometimes had for his niece.

"Sweetheart, don't even try that whole puppy eyes thing on me, only Prim could pull that off. I'll be fine, just go on back to Tennessee with Blondie over there and call me when there's little ones calling me Uncle Haymitch, since you sure as hell never did," Haymitch said with a roll of his eyes, hoping to embarrass Katniss enough to drop the subject. Which of course, only made her more frustrated, and Peeta stepped in, hoping to defuse the situation between the two with minor bloodshed.

"Okay, how about this? Haymitch, you promise to do everything in your power to follow your treatment plan, and Katniss will call you a couple times a week to check in, make sure you're still alive and such. Hazel and Chaff can come by once a week and help out with anything you need. Does that sound like a compromise everyone can live with?" Peeta asked, purposefully ignoring the old man's jab about having kids with Katniss in order to avoid getting punched.

Both Katniss and Haymitch looked at Peeta in surprise, neither one prepared to compromise, but his plan was too good to not consider. Haymitch scratched absently at his chin, and Katniss shifted from one foot to the other, looking at her hands, in a silent stand-off of sorts.

"Boy, you must be pretty secure in your way with words, to risk your life like you just did. Most folks wouldn't have bothered reasoning with two stubborn mules like us," Haymitch said, sizing Peeta up with his gaze.

"He's not most people," Katniss said, looking at Peeta with a spark of admiration in her silver eyes. Peeta felt his heart literally skip a beat at the look she was giving him, wanting nothing more at that moment than to kiss her senseless, but he remembered that her uncle's hospital room wouldn't quite be the best place for that.

"So, is that a yes? I'm not sure I speak your language yet," Peeta quipped nervously at the lingering air of tension that filled the room.

"Yeah, that'll work," Haymitch relented, intrigued by the shift he was seeing in Katniss's demeanor. She was never this agreeable for anyone else in her life, except maybe her little sister.

"Okay, that'll be fine. But you have to promise to try, Haymitch," Katniss said, still trying to convey to her uncle how much she cared in her own way.

"I'll try, Sweetheart."

* * *

"Where are we going, Katniss?" Peeta asked for the third time as he followed her deep into the woods of her farm.

Since they had left the hospital to let Haymitch rest before his first therapy session, Katniss had been quiet, which was usual for her, so it didn't concern Peeta. Her distance, though, the way she was subtly avoiding his touch, was making him nervous. Had he overstepped when he broke up the disagreement between her and Haymitch? He didn't think so, but Katniss Everdeen was good at keeping him guessing. As soon as they had returned to the farm, Katniss had told him to follow her, and began walking into the woods behind the farm house.

"We're almost there, you'll see soon," was her cryptic reply.

Peeta let out a nervous laugh, saying, "Okay, as long as you're not going to kill me or leave me for dead out here, I'll stop asking."

He had no more than finished his statement when they broke through the tree line and found themselves standing before a brilliant blue lake. 'This must be the one from the picture in Annie's office,' Peeta thought to himself.

"I used to come here with my dad when I was little. He taught me to swim, fish, and what plants were edible. We weren't exactly poor, but sometimes things were tight, and I guess Dad wanted me to know how to fend for myself, take care of Prim if I had to. Like when he taught me to hunt, he helped to make me independent, and I've always been grateful for that. But lately, I find myself depending on you, more than I ever thought I would depend on anybody, and I don't know how to deal with it," Katniss said, as she sat down on the bank, looking out over the water. Peeta sat next to her, patiently waiting for her to continue, as he knew she liked to take her time and think before she spoke.

"I guess I brought you out here to see if I could make sense of things, of why you would ever want me. I'm stubborn, quiet, have a horrible temper, I'm selfish, and terrible at relationships. And I know part of that is from having to be independent at a young age, but I also think it's just part of who I am. I love my dad for teaching me to take care of myself, but sometimes I wonder if it was too much, because I don't know how to let people in, and I want to let you in so badly. I just don't know how. And the way you came here with me, helped with Haymitch, didn't kill Gale, I just don't know how to handle you being so amazing to me when you get nothing back."

Peeta scooted closer to Katniss, so that they were sitting with their shoulders touching, and closed his hand over hers as he pondered his response. He knew this was the time to put it all out there, to make sure she understood exactly what he felt for her.

"Katniss, I want you to know that I am happy to be here with you, and that you are the best thing to happen to me. Eli and I were struggling to stay afloat before you came into our lives, I hardly believed that I knew what I was doing, and still don't. But you have been encouraging me every step of the way, going out of your way to include in things, make sure he is comfortable with our relationship. You are not selfish, and, from what I've seen so far, not terrible at relationships. Your dad taught you something valuable: how to take care of yourself; and that's great. As far as letting me in, you have done more to show me who you are in the last week than I ever expected. The only thing I ever want to get in return for doing things for you is to see you be happy. Katniss, I love you," Peeta said, his words becoming more impassioned as he spoke. He waited for her to look at him, say anything, give any indication that she heard him, especially the last part, but she continued looking straight ahead at the water. Finally, as he was beginning to lose hope, she turned to look directly in his eyes, and spoke.

"Peeta, I always said I never wanted marriage or any of that, but here you come, changing everything I thought I knew about love. You are so kind, giving, and funny, and I don't know why but it feels like I've known you forever. And it pisses me off to no end when you are so calm, finding ways to talk things out, coming up with compromises, but that's also what I love most about you. Haymitch is right, you have a gift with words," Katniss said, letting out a nervous laugh as she continued to speak. "And I think maybe we've both lost it completely, but if I'm being completely honest, I have to admit that...I love you, too. And it scares the hell out of me."

While Katniss had been speaking, the two unconsciously moved closer together, until their foreheads were resting together at her confession that she loved him. Peeta thought his heart was going to beat right out of his chest as she continued moving impossibly closer, her gray eyes locked on his lips, just before they touched her own. Almost immediately, Peeta took control of the kiss, holding Katniss's head in his hands, parting her lips with his tongue to deepen the kiss. Her soft sigh into his mouth sent his already warm skin even more alight, and the two continued to mold their mouths together, each exploring the other as much as they could. When they parted, breathing heavily, Peeta took Katniss's hand and placed it on his chest, directly over his beating heart, as though to tell her that it was hers. After sharing another few soft kisses, as though making a promise, the two sat on the bank of the lake for a bit longer, Katniss leaning back on Peeta's strong chest, his arms wrapped around here.

"If I could freeze this moment right now and live in it forever, I would," Katniss said, sighing quietly at the strange sense of peace that had fallen over her. Instead of it all going to shit as she figured it would after admitting to Peeta that she loved him, she was overwhelmed with a sense of calm. She thought it was likely because it was all out there now, they had told each other how they felt and now there were no more secrets.

"Same here," Peeta said, nuzzling her neck as he whispered against her skin. The two stayed until the sun was almost completely down on the horizon, then decided to head back to the house. When they got back, they decided to turn in early, since tomorrow Haymitch was going to be discharged, and before they picked him up Katniss wanted to move his things from his bedroom upstairs to a bedroom downstairs to make it easier for him. Rosie had found them about halfway back to the house, running around the woods chasing the few geese that were still hanging around, waiting to see if Haymitch was coming back. She trotted easily beside Peeta, nudging his hand every now and then for his attention. Katniss couldn't help but roll her eyes at her dog, she was hopelessly enamored with Peeta, too, it seemed.

After setting out food and water for Rosie, Katniss was going around the house turning off lights and checking the doors while Peeta took his turn in the bathroom to get ready for bed. She was just getting ready to head to her bedroom when she heard a knock on the front door. Her brow knitted in confusion, wondering who would be coming to the farm when Haymitch's few friends knew he wasn't there. Suddenly, Rosie appeared from the kitchen to stand in front of the door, growling and barking like crazy. Katniss looked through the peep-hole in the door, only to see a swaying Gale standing on the front porch, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand.

"Catnip! I know you're in there, open up. I want to talk to you for a second," Gale said in a voice that proved to Katniss that he was on his way to being completely drunk.

"No, Gale. I'm getting ready to go to bed, I have a lot to do before Haymitch comes home tomorrow. You should leave," Katniss replied patiently, shouting to be heard over Rosie's continued barking. By this point, Peeta had heard the raucous and was standing beside Katniss, listening to what she said, and taking a defensive stance.

"No, Catnip, you need to listen to me. I think you should stay here, that Peter guy is bad news. I mean, how long have you known him? You should be with me, I'm coming in there to prove it," Gale continued to slur, as he began pounding harder on the door, which had no hope of being broken down. It was mahogany.

"Gale, you should leave before you do or say something you'll regret," Peeta said sternly through the door, trying to not rile the man up any more, but Katniss looked dumbfounded and wasn't saying anything.

"No one asked you, Peter. And why are you in there? Are you sleeping with Catnip? Oh man, good luck, I was hoping for years to get in her pants, but it never happened..." Gale trailed off as Peeta swung the front door open.

"Gale, I'm not going to ask again. Leave now, and we'll forget this happened. And I don't think Rosie likes you very much, I'm not sure you want Katniss to turn her loose," Peeta said with a smile in his voice at the look of fear on Gale's face. Katniss was holding onto Rosie as well as she could, but the dog was lunging to get to Gale, growling menacingly. Gale's face turned pale, and he gave one last glare at all of them, before turning to leave. Katniss figured he must have walked from his place to the farm, his truck was no where in sight, and she was glad he wasn't driving.

"Thanks Peeta. I'm going to call Hazel and let her know where he is, since he's drunk off his ass and probably won't remember which way is home," Katniss said, her voice somewhat shaky. She had never seen Gale get like that, she knew he had a temper, but if he had succeeded in getting into the house, if she was alone with Rosie or Peeta, she wasn't sure what he would have done.

"No problem. He clearly still hasn't gotten the memo that you are taken, I'm only happy to remind him," Peeta said cheekily.

Katniss only laughed as she went off to make her phone call. Peeta knelt down to scratch behind Rosie's ears, grateful that the dog had an innate sense of when she needed to protect Katniss.

"Good girl, Rosie. I knew I liked you for a reason."

When Katniss returned from calling Gale's mother, who called him "an absolute idiot" and profusely apologized to Katniss for her son's behavior, she was exhausted. As she looked at Peeta, petting Rosie and smiling at the dog, Katniss knew she had done right in taking the risk to let him into her life, and let her stubborn heart melt in his presence.

"Let's go to bed," she said to Peeta, walking down the hall after once again locking the door and shutting off the lights. He trailed behind her, and made to turn into his bedroom, ever the gentleman to not assume anything, but Katniss grabbed his arm, turning him to look at her.

"Nope, you're coming in here. Why even bother with pretense, we both know we sleep better together, so let's just avoid the whole waking up with a nightmare and you running in here thing, okay? Just to sleep," she added quickly, lest he get the wrong idea. She had no idea where this brave side of her was coming from, but decided to stop thinking and analyzing everything to death, and just go with it.

"Yes, m'am," Peeta said, taken aback by he sudden boldness, but knowing she was right. He followed her into her room, observing the plain walls that once had held pictures that were now in her house in Knoxville. The whole room seemed empty, save for her suitcase and the neatly made bed, and Peeta understood why she had called Knoxville home. She had removed her memories from this place that held so much pain, and planted them in her new home, where they could be beautiful, untainted by ghosts. The two of them slid into the bed, and tonight there was no hesitance as Katniss again placed her head on Peeta's chest, right over his heart, and he wrapped her in his arms, creating their own little world in the darkness.

As Peeta felt himself falling asleep, he kissed the top of Katniss's head, saying, "I love you." He wasn't sure if his heart would ever stop speeding up and soaring with joy when she responded, "Love you, too."

He sure hoped it wouldn't.

**Review if you feel so inclined! Even a couple words means the world to me :) And I've got the rest of this planned out, roughly, pretty sure there's gonna be about 6 more chapters! **


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Sorry it took longer to get this chapter up. Studying for nursing boards has taken over my life. But, here it is and the next one should be up soon! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own THG.**

"Okay, you have my cell phone number, and Peeta's just in case, call if you need anything. And please behave when your doctor or nurse calls you to check up on you, they're just doing their job. Need anything else before we take off?" Katniss asked Haymitch for the tenth time that afternoon after getting him settled in from the hospital.

"Yeah, Sweetheart, I need you to leave! Making me nervous buzzing around here, just hit the road, and let me or Hazel know when you make it home. I've been taking care of myself for forty some years, I think I can handle this just fine, but thanks for caring," Haymitch grumbled, though Peeta now knew that this was his coping mechanism for how much he actually missed Katniss. It must be something in the genetics in this family to put up a tough exterior to avoid showing emotions, though he was wearing Katniss down little by little.

"Fine old man, we're going," Katniss grumbled back, pausing to give Haymitch a stiff hug and grabbing her duffel bag that she had previously packed. "You can always come visit Tennessee, you know."

"Well, I have heard that's the best place to get real moonshine, so maybe," Haymitch replied slyly, knowing his remark would cause his niece to scowl.

"Bye, Haymitch," Katniss said, as she turned and headed out the door in a huff, that adorable scowl gracing her features right on cue.

"Boy, hang on a second," Haymitch said to Peeta as he stooped to pick up his own bag of clothes. Peeta walked over towards Haymitch where he sat in his easy chair, making himself comfortable for the afternoon, and shifted a little nervously, unsure what to expect from the old man.

"So, you and Sweetheart, huh? I'm going to say this once, because it's my job and I love that girl like she was my own. You take care of her, and don't break her heart, because I happen to be good at throwing knives and can handle a shotgun pretty well."

Peeta laughed nervously, seeing mostly humor with a glint of truth mixed in the man's eyes, and assured Haymitch that his skills would not need to be put to use.

"I'll take care of her like she takes care of me, we help each other through tough times. And I love her, so there's that, too," Peeta said.

"Good, that's how it should be, a partnership. Now you better get going, or she'll think I really am threatening you. You're a good man, I'm glad she's with you."

"Thanks Haymitch, it was good to meet you. And you really should visit if you get the chance, I can show you where all the best moonshine is," Peeta whispered conspiratorially, with a wink, earning a loud laugh from Haymitch as he walked out the door.

Katniss was waiting in the car with Rosie loaded in the back seat, both eager to get on the road. It had been an interesting three and a half days in Katniss's hometown, but Peeta was ready to be back home, taking care of his beloved bakery, and missed Eli so much it made his chest hurt a little bit. He couldn't believe how quickly he had grown so attached to the little boy, and now he couldn't picture his life without Eli being in the immediate picture. As though she could sense his feelings, Katniss put her hand on Peeta's arm as she left the long driveway of the farm, and said, "We'll be home soon, and you get to see Eli in less than 48 hours. You miss him, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's crazy to think this is the longest I've gone without seeing him since he came to live with me. I miss him so much," Peeta admitted.

"I miss him too. I keep thinking how fun, or maybe disastrous, it would be to have him and Haymitch in the same room. Can you imagine the shenanigans?" Katniss laughed to herself thinking of the havoc those two could create together. Mostly, Eli reminded Katniss of Prim, and it had helped her to be around him in dealing with her grief, and wondered if something like that would help Haymitch.

"Oh Lord, I don't even want to think of the bad habits Eli would pick up," Peeta said in mock horror, but couldn't help laughing with Katniss.

It felt good for them to be back on the road, heading home. Katniss was surprised at how much she missed Tennessee; Indiana would forever be the place that had raised her, but Knoxville was the place that made her strong. It was where she met Peeta, and she couldn't help but be almost grateful for the dire circumstances in Indiana that had led her to moving to another state, otherwise she may not have ever known him. Katniss looked over at Peeta, who was already looking sleepy in the passenger seat, he had always been able to sleep when riding in a car, and she gently told him to rest for a while, and she would wake him when it was time to switch drivers. As she continued to drive down the road, she thought of all the things Peeta had done for her on this trip, and was so grateful for the man sleeping just a few inches from her, and blushed red when she thought of how they had woken tangled up in each other's arms this morning. He truly was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

* * *

"Katniss! Did you see what I made at camp? It's a bow and arrow like yours, now we can hunt together! Right?" Eli came running up to Katniss as she and Peeta exited the car. It was Saturday afternoon, and Peeta had insisted that she come along to pick up Eli, since she was a big part of the boy's life now. Katniss was eager to see Eli too, she had become attached to the playful child, and found herself watching the way Peeta interacted with him more and more. Peeta had one of those personalities that kids seemed drawn too, his kind smile and demeanor radiated to everyone around him, and it warmed her heart to see that Eli was that way, too. Once again she was hit with the idea of having children someday with Peeta, and it was getting harder to push the idea aside.

"That's a wonderful bow and arrow! I can teach you to shoot a real one when you're a little bigger, if it's okay with your uncle," Katniss replied to Eli, who was now standing in front of her with shining eyes. At her words, he hugged her legs, saying how he couldn't wait to be big enough to learn to hunt with her.

"It's only okay if you get over here and give me a hug, little man. You ran right past me," Peeta told Eli, a mock pout on his face as he crouched down for an embrace. Eli giggled, and ran to his uncle, all but tackling him in his excitement.

"I missed you, Uncle Peeta. But I missed Katniss too, so I had to talk to her first, since you and Daddy always taught me the very important rule of 'Ladies First.' And she knows about bows and stuff," Eli explained to his uncle. "I love you, Uncle Peeta."

"Love you too, buddy. Of course, when you're a little bigger, Katniss can teach you how to hunt. And I'm glad you remembered about ladies first," Peeta said as he straightened up, collecting Eli's backpack and small duffel bag to put them in the car as Katniss got Eli buckled in his booster seat.

Once all three were loaded in the car and about five miles down the road from the camp, which was only an hour from Knoxville, Eli was fast asleep. Katniss and Peeta rode quietly in the car together, Peeta holding her hand while he drove with one hand on the wheel, a habit he seemed to have developed from their trip to Indiana. What a long week it had been, full of ups and downs, but the two of them had gotten through it together. Katniss had even talked to Haymitch once since they left, and she was shocked that his report that he was cleaning up his act was verified by Hazel. It was good to know that maybe the old man had been given a dose of reality, and realized that he was her only family left, that he needed to stick around for as long as he could.

"So, Annie and Finn are coming over for dinner tonight and I was told to make sure you are there too. I think they want to turn this into a double date of sorts, or as close as it can get with little man running around the house," Peeta said, shaking her from her thoughts. "I think it's mostly a plot to tease us mercifully, as Finn is always too eager to do."

Katniss laughed a little, thinking about how Annie had seemed hell-bent on getting her and Peeta together, and figured Annie would join her husband in said teasing.

"Of course I'll be there. I had hoped to be with you guys tonight, but I didn't want to impose on your time with Eli, since you just got him back. Glad to know I won't be crashing the party," Katniss replied.

"You are never imposing, Katniss. Eli and I love having you around. 'Course, I just love you in general..." Peeta trailed off, giving her a cheeky smile before turning to face the road again. As much as she loved his way with words, Katniss always felt a little frustrated when he said things like this, she could never think of the right thing to say. So as usual, she went with the action approach and squeezed his hand, letting him know how she felt without saying it.

"I love Katniss, too," Eli piped up from the back seat, where he had clearly woken up from his nap.

Both adults looked at the boy, Peeta using the rearview mirror, and Katniss turned around in her seat to face him. He was sitting in his booster seat, grinning at Katniss and reaching his hand out for what she thought was a high five, but when she reached her hand toward him, he held on to it.

"I still think Mommy and Daddy sent you for Uncle Peeta, even if you aren't his girlfriend. You're just so nice, and Mommy always said Uncle Peeta needed a nice girl," Eli said.

Peeta chuckled, remembering how his sister-in-law had always harped at him that he needed to find a nice girl to settle down with, and had tried several times to get him to agree to blind dates. He always refused, saying that the right girl would come along eventually, he just needed to be patient, and that she would come sneaking up on him when he least expected it. Katniss had done just that.

"Well, buddy, I think you might be right. Katniss is my girlfriend now," Peeta told his nephew, who was still holding onto Katniss's hand, and now began bouncing excitedly in his seat as they drove up to her house.

Katniss and Peeta smiled at each other, as Eli released her hand to allow her to get out of the car. After she assured the boy that she would be over for dinner in a couple hours, she couldn't help but think that for once things were looking up in her life. Which, of course, is when things usually come crashing down.

* * *

"Uncle Peeta, how is Katniss your girlfriend now? Did you ask her to be? Or did she tell you she is? Because this one girl at camp, she had a red dress and two braids, just came up to me one day and said I was her boyfriend. Is that how it works?" Eli questioned his uncle the second Katniss disappeared into her house and Peeta began backing out of her driveway.

"Um, well, that's not usually how it works, but I guess Katniss kind of did just say it. But we've been together a lot lately, and we decided a couple days ago that we wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend," Peeta explained as best he could to the small boy. He wished sometimes that he could be like Eli, seeing things from a child's perspective and just saying things the way he wanted to.

Eli nodded to his uncle form the backseat, satisfied with the answer Peeta had given him, as they made the short drive to their own house. When their house came into view, Peeta was surprised to see Finnick's car in the driveway; he was pretty sure they'd said weren't coming to the house until 6:00. He shrugged and figured a few hours didn't make a big difference, his friends were always eager to visit with Eli, too.

When Peeta pulled up alongside Finnick's car, he saw it was just Finnick, and began to wonder what was going on. Finn mentioned he planned to work this morning for a few hours at the law firm he had been hired at straight out of law school last year, since he was still trying to prove himself. Finnick, for all his childish antics, had actually been very intelligent and good at school, and had completed his undergraduate degree in three years, allowing him to complete law school at an early age. And with his ability to charm everyone, law was right up his alley.

Peeta got himself and Eli out of the car, greeting Finnick, who seemed slightly less enthusiastic than normal, which set Peeta on edge. Even as Eli latched himself onto Finnick for a hug, Finnick seemed to be almost sad for a second, making Peeta anxious to shuffle Eli into the house and set him to sorting his dirty clothes into color piles, so that he could talk with Finnick. Once they entered the house and Peeta got Eli started sorting clothes, he pulled Finnick into the kitchen.

"Okay, spill. What's going on?" Peeta asked anxiously.

"No beating around the bush, I didn't realize I was so transparent," Finnick's attempt at humor falling flat, another bad sign. "Well, as your lawyer, I handle the bakery legal stuff, as well as the legal things when it came to your guardianship of Eli. I had a message on my office phone when I went in this morning, and...man I don't know how to say this..." Finnick trailed off, running a hand over his face as Peeta's heart clenched in fear.

"Finn, you're freaking me out, so whatever it is, just say it, please."

"The message was from a guy, last name of Snow," Finnick continued, as Peeta tried to remember where he had heard that name before. "Apparently, he is Heather's uncle, who was out of the country at the time of the accident, and is estranged from her. But he heard that she and Jon had a son, and somehow knew that you were granted guardianship and found out I'm your lawyer. The long and short of it: he wants custody of Eli, says he can give him a better life than you could, and is petitioning for a hearing as we speak."

Peeta literally thought he was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen now affecting his brain, since he had stopped breathing at Finnick's words saying that this man wanted to take Eli from him.

"What the hell? My sister-in-law's uncle suddenly hears about Eli and all of a sudden is interested? No. No, he can't have Eli, only over my dead body would that happen," Peeta growled, suddenly so pissed he was able to understand the term 'seeing red'.

"I know, man. It's more than a little fishy, for one thing the timing is off, and he has no history at all with Eli, or Heather and Jon for that matter, so it shouldn't even come to a hearing. What I can't figure out is how he found all this out, since supposedly all of Heather's family was thought to be dead and Eli's information is supposed to be protected since he's a minor. I had to tell you, so that if it does come to court, you are prepared as you can be. And we need to come up with a plan, since this Snow guy has a badass team of lawyers, which is nothing I can't handle, but I just want to see what I can find out about this guy," Finnick explained, furrowing his brow in suspicion. Peeta knew that Finnick was a great lawyer, young as he was, and that it would work out somehow. But the only thought he could process right now was that nothing, and no one, was going to take his nephew from him. If this Snow guy wanted to pursue this ridiculous legal battle, so be it; but Peeta refused to be a piece in this guy's game. He would find a way to keep Eli, come Hell or high water.

"I understand, thanks for coming by to tell me before dinner. I appreciate it, we'll talk about this soon," Peeta said, looking at his friend's face, seeing the determined glint in his eyes that said Finnick was on a mission.

"You're welcome. I didn't want to bring it up at dinner, especially in front of Eli, and I wasn't sure if you'd want to discuss this with Katniss, so I figured now was good. Anyway, I'll go, let you think on things. You need to have people ready to testify that you are a good caregiver for Eli, just on the off chance this thing would actually go to a hearing, so get a mental list going. I'll see you in a couple hours for dinner. Don't worry man, we got this," Finnick reassured Peeta as he went out the front door to his car.

Before he could do anything else, Peeta had to check on Eli, who was being uncharacteristically quiet, which was not always a good thing when it came to a child. Peeta went up the stairs to Eli's room where he had been sorting his clothes by color, when he found the boy sitting on the floor, surrounded by neatly piled clothes. Eli had always been good at knowing colors, so sorting clothes was something Peeta routinely had him do; the piles were all sorted by color as usual, with only a few things mixed in where they shouldn't be. Peeta smiled when he saw his nephew sitting in the middle of the piles, with a gray t-shirt in his hand, looking puzzled.

"Need any help, little man? You've done a great job in here," Peeta asked.

"Thanks, Uncle Peeta. But I can't figure this one out, does gray go with the white clothes or colored clothes? Because it's light, almost white, but still a color, so I'm just trying to figure it out..." Eli trailed off, still looking around, deep in thought. Peeta found himself suddenly terrified of losing moments like this with Eli, what if this Snow actually managed to take Eli? Then he remembered Finnick's words, about Peeta's history with Eli coming into play, and how he had already established a home here for the boy. So what if the guy had money? Peeta wasn't exactly wealthy, but he made a decent living with the bakery, and Eli was always provided with what he needed. This thought gave him some momentary consolation, as he answered his nephew.

"It goes with the white clothes. Gray can be a tricky color, huh?"

"I like gray though, it reminds me of Katniss's eyes. They're gray, right? Do you think she's pretty, Uncle Peeta? I think she's real pretty, and I hope you marry her, because then she'd be my aunt, right?" Eli asked, looking expectantly at Peeta for answer.

"Yes, if I marry her, she would be your aunt. But we're a long way from that, little man," Peeta laughed off his answer, but he couldn't deny his thoughts had frequently been drifting to marriage more than once lately. Which was absurd, since he and Katniss hadn't even really been on a real date yet, unless he counted the night in her backyard. He wasn't sure which category that night went into, since they had been hanging out as friends, then things escalated a bit. Oh well, he supposed their relationship was far from ordinary, so why should they follow the ordinary rules?

"Uncle Peeta, hello?" he heard Eli asking him, tugging on his t-shirt hem to get his attention, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Sorry buddy, zoned out for a second. You want to take a little nap, then I'll come get you when dinner is ready? You're probably tired from camp, and I want you to be able to see Katniss, Finnick and Annie later. Sound good?"

"Yeah, I could sleep, I missed my bed. But you'll come get me when Katniss gets here?" Eli asked earnestly, hands on hips and eyebrows raised, looking every bit like a small version of Peeta' brother.

"I promise."

Satisfied that his uncle would wake him when his friend Katniss got here, Eli walked over to his bed, and snuggled under his blanket, almost instantly falling asleep. Another Mellark trait: the ability to fall asleep almost at will.

Peeta closed the door most of the way, and headed downstairs to start on dinner, when he heard a knock on his front door. When he opened the door, he found Katniss standing on his porch, a concerned smile on her face and a bottle of wine in her hands. Peeta immediately pulled her through the door and into a tight hug, feeling all of the stress from his conversation with Finnick crash down on him.

"Finnick called and said I should come over early, you might need a hug. What's going on?" Katniss whispered against his neck.

Peeta sighed, and released her, but held her hand, leading her to the living room, dropping off the bottle of wine in the kitchen on the way. When they sat down on the couch, they both turned to look at each other while Peeta briefly explained what Finnick had told him. When he got to the part about Snow wanting to take Eli, Katniss's eyes narrowed, and her cheeks turned red in anger.

"He can't do that! Who does this guy think he is, just because he has money? And how would he even know about all this stuff in the first place if he was estranged and out of the country? Something isn't adding up," Katniss said through gritted teeth.

"I know, it's crazy. Finnick said I need to have people ready to testify that I am a good caregiver, so would you be willing to do that? I mean, you don't have to or anything..." Peeta trailed off, wondering if it was too soon to ask his girlfriend to get involved in his legal matters.

Katniss didn't hesitate, saying, "Of course. I'll do whatever you need me to do, I love that kiddo too. You've helped me with so much, and now I'll be there for you too." She no sooner finished her words when Peeta leaned forward, capturing her lips with his, threading his fingers through her long hair. She responded with equal force, deepening the kiss as their mouths moved together, and she was conveying to him that she would support him in whatever he needed, that she would be there for him.

When they broke apart both panting from lack of oxygen, Peeta leaned his forehead against hers, and said, "I love you. Thank you for coming over early, I really didn't want to be alone."

"I love you, too. We'll get through this, and then you, Peeta Mellark, are taking me on a date," Katniss replied with a wink. She would help him in any way she could until then, because she couldn't help but feel like if Eli was taken from Peeta, she may not be able to hold him together. They both had scars from their pasts, and while his didn't show like hers normally did, she knew they ran just as deep, and held the ability to break him if pushed too far. She would have to be strong enough for both of them.

**They just can't catch a break, can they? Don't worry, though, this is going to be a happy ending, when we get there. Til then, just hang in there! Review if you'd like, I appreciate the words of encouragement so much, y'all don't even know. Thanks for reading :)**


	13. Announcement

**I know this isn't a chapter, and I hate that I got y'all excited, but I had to post this, because I didn't want to leave you hanging. **

**I will update this story again, but it's temporarily on hold until after January 31st. I am scheduled to take my nursing boards that day, so studying has become my number one priority, aside from my full time job. I tried writing as a study break, but my brain is so taxed right now the little I managed to write was absolute crap, and I don't want to update with a bad chapter just for the sake of updating. This story will continue, I have much more Everlark to put into words...never fear, you will get a new chapter soon, but not anytime in the next 2 weeks. **

**Thanks for sticking with me and please don't hate me for this! Y'all are amazing :)**


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